Streghe Vita
by SukiChan12
Summary: A young homeless girl who's been dealt an incredibly bad hand in life. A young single man, looking for someone to complete him. When their two worlds collide, will they manage to weather the aftermath, or will the emotional and physical baggage be too much for them to bear? GtxOC, Brx17; all other pairings are normal.
1. Streghe vita: Rhea

**Alright, my very first GotenxOC romance. For the sake of this story, Bra will be paired off with 17. Our OC, named Rhea, has been dealt a terrible hand in life, from birth on up. She was left as an orphan on the streets at age seven by druggie parents, raped at fifteen, and became a mother of twin girls at sixteen.**

**Goten is in that lone wolf stage of life, but he can't help but feel a bit left out, what with all the happily married couples all around him; his brother and sister in-law, his parents, his niece and best friend to name a few. He finds himself longing for a female companion to satisfy his desire to settle down and start a family.**

**Rhea has lost all faith in humanity, and can't bring herself to trust anyone after the life she's lived. Now twenty, with two soon to be four year olds, she's very much aware that the girls deserve much better than what they've been forced to live with. One of her twins is sick with a rare severe disease, and the other is plagued with poor hearing, along with asthma.**

**Rhea's 4 foot 9 with thick black curls that come to her shoulders, olive toned skin, and big, bright green eyes, framed by long, thick, curly lashes. She's curvy for her height; full figured. When you picture her, think of Scarlet Johansen in Avengers, but with different coloring; hair and skin, and a good bit shorter.**

**Belle- The sick twin; she has curly black hair and green eyes like her mother, but her skin is pale like her father's. Her virus causes her to have constant bouts of chills and fevers, as well as a constant cough that; occasionally, comes with blood. She's still rather bright and bubbly, despite her sickness and situation.**

**Baili- The twin with the poor hearing; identical to her mother, save for her pale blue eyes which she inherited from her father. She's just as bubbly as her sister, and makes it a point to look out for her as best as she can. Her asthma; like Belle's virus, is a side effect from a turbulent birth.**

**Natalia- A friend of Rhea's. Natalia is a prostitute who spends her nights making the days of both men and women to get by. The pay isn't good, but it's enough to get her a small apartment in the slums of Satan City. She helped Rhea with the birth of her twins, having been in her third year of medical school to become an OB/GYN.**

**The death of her parents forced her to drop out; not to mention the fact that her two-faced Aunt somehow managed to rip everything her parents left for her away from her by pulling on a few, dust covered clauses that no one ever remembers.**

**Natalia turned to prostitution and never looked back. Despite her profession, she still comes across as a beautiful curvaceous blonde with tantalizing violet eyes and the face of an angel. Natalia is 24 and 5,9.**

**Daren- A co-worker of Goten's, with the same issues as Goten. The two of them often have lunch together, or go out for drinks with Trunks and Uub.**

**Alright, we'll start off with Rhea, and then go to Goten next chapter. I deduce that Rhea's path with cross with a Son in chapter four or five, but it won't be Goten. In these stories, usually the guy finds the girl on the streets and takes her in himself, but I want to do things differently this time around. Rated M for obvious reasons; language, mentions of rape, and vague rape scenes. Enjoy the read!**

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**Chapter 1: **_**A Charmed Life**_

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The young mother cuddled her young daughters close to her, trying her best to protect them from the chill of the early morning air. It was bad enough that Belle had gotten chills in the middle of the night; she didn't need to get any colder than she already was.

Natalia had some _friends_ over for the past week or so, and they weren't able to stay with her. The few times that they were able to stay over was when she only had one _friend_ over for the night, and she found it hard to explain to Belle and Baili what the _strange bumping noises_ were.

More often than not, she was forced to take her babies onto the streets for the night. The shelters filled up fast, so she would have to make due with a tucked away alley.

Rhea never slept while they were on the streets, and she was suffering terribly for it, but she knew better than to fall asleep after what happened when she was fifteen. She bit her lip and rubbed her babies' arms.

Sometimes she wished that Natalia wasn't so into her... _job_; or that she wasn't so willing to sell her body just to get by. They were friends, yes, but it still hurt Rhea to watch her give herself away over and over. She knew better than most what it felt like to lose a part of oneself by force.

"Mummy?" A soft, hoarse voice asked sweetly, and Rhea looked down, "Belle?" The sweet cherub looked up at her with her innocent green eyes, "it's hot, Mummy." The young mother pressed a hand to her cheeks and gasped. The little girl was burning up.

"Darling, come on," Rhea wriggled out of her raggedy old parka and wrapped it around Belle, "we've got to break this fever." Belle snuggled into the jacket, and her mother hugged both girls to her chest to keep them both warm, humming a lullaby from her childhood.

"Hey, Rey."

Rhea's eyes snapped up, and she took in the blonde with wary eyes, "Are you using right now? You know I don't want you around them while you're... you know..."

"While I'm on hours?" Natalia asked coolly, "I'd never come around them while I'm on the job... no matter how much I want it. I love those two. How's Baby Belle?"

"She's got a fever again." Rhea sighed softly, running a hand through Belle's silky hair, "I wish I could afford the medicine she needs, but these little odd jobs I've got won't help any."

Rhea spent her days doing the occasional favor to earn a few dollars, but the most she could ever get from one person was thirty, and that was an extremely good day. She couldn't bring herself to sell her body like Natalia did; not after... Rhea shook herself. She refused to reminisce on the past, no matter how painful and strong the memories were.

"There are ways," Natalia began, but then shook her head when Rhea glared at her, "I know, I know, it's not an option for you. I don't blame you, sweet heart, what with all you've been through, but there are other ways that don't involve you... you know."

"That are few and far in between." Rhea snapped, and then coughed harshly, "stupid cold weather."

"I'm not on the job right now, darling, why don't you and the girls come back to mine and you can get some real sleep. I know you don't sleep out here." Natalia offered, touching her hand.

"Talia, I'm filthy. I don't want to mess up your apartment-"

"I don't care about that shit hole. You're much more important than my place. Come on, give me Bails." Natalia gently plucked Baili; the second twin, from her mother's grasp and cradled her against her body to keep her safe from the cold, "How's her breathing?"

"Shallow as always." Rhea stood up and nestled Belle into her side, "Alright, baby, Auntie Nat is here." Belle coughed, "Auntie Nat?" Natalia smiled softly and nodded her head, "come on, baby, we're going to my house."

"Your house?"

"Yes, my house." Natalia laughed lightly, and then smiled weakly at Rhea, "Come on, Rey, let's get out of this cold." Rhea nodded once and fell into step beside her friend.

*At Talia's home*

By the time they reached the apartments, Belle had gone back to sleep in her mother's arms, and Baili had stirred once during their walk. Both of the twins slept peacefully as Nat unlocked the door to her apartment and let them in. Rhea hurried in out of the cold and went to lay Belle on the ratty sofa.

"You could take a shower if you want, and then bathe them later. The water's cold, though." Natalia offered, laying Baili down beside her sister. Rhea nodded once, "that'd be nice, and you know I don't mind," and gestured to her filthy clothing.

Rhea's clothing consisted of a tattered band tee-shirt that was so dirty; the name of the band couldn't be made out, a pair of pink polka dot sweat pants that were faded brown and covered in mud, grime, and other filth, and a pair of holed up sneakers. The parka she'd wrapped Belle in was her last piece of clothing, as was the overly large beanie on Baili's head.

"Are you sure you don't want me to get you something else?" Talia asked softly, but Rhea refused, "you're already living from- from _job_ _to_ _job_ as it is, and you don't need anything else to break your stride. Especially not us."

"I don't care, sweet heart. Someone needs to worry about you three." Talia tried to reason, but Rhea remained firm, "I'll just shower and bathe the girls, and then we'll be out of your way. I know you've got a full schedule today. It's Monday, isn't it? Don't you need to get ready for Louie in an hour or so?"

Louie was Natalia's Monday and Friday regular. He came to her home at twelve p.m. on the dot, and left promptly at three-thirty. He was a greasy kind of man, with slick black hair, beady black eyes, oily skin, and a sickening, seemingly permanent smirk to his fat face.

Once, when Rhea was late leaving Nat's place, he'd openly checked her out and made a lewd comment before slapping her on her ass. She'd been fourteen then, and the event traumatized her... but it wasn't nearly as bad as _that_ night.

_*four years ago*_

_Rhea had fallen asleep in an alley way somewhere. Nat had been taking a threesome that night, and she couldn't bear to stay and listen to the erotic and appalling noises coming from her room. She'd tried, but in the end, she was much too disgusted to stay and left the apartment in a hurry. The park was crawling with police, and she didn't want to get planted in a foster home, so she found a closed off alley to curl up in and lapsed into an uneasy sleep. When she woke up, things became... violent._

*That night*

_... "Hello, Cherie," the strong scent of whiskey washed over her as the drunken, smiling fool apprehended her with ease. Rhea whimpered and wriggled around, trying to get free, but he was strong, even for someone so inebriated._

"_You look familiar... y-y-yeah; you're that li-little girl I s-saw leaving Nat's one d-d-d-day... cute lil thang you are..." He rasped, nuzzling her cheek, "a chi-child built like a g-grown woman... Mmmm, you sm-smell so sweet, even though y-you're covered i-i-in trash."_

_A soft mewl left her as he pressed his manhood against her, the hardened flesh felt wretched on her innocent body. He began to lick and suck on her neck, leaving slobber all over her skin. As his mouth worked, his hands began to undress her body, and she was helpless to stop him, pinned under his heavy weight._

"_Y-y-you should relax, s-sweet girl. Have a d-d-drink." He reached behind him and leaned up so he was straddling her waist. The warm, thin liquid that was whiskey poured over her face and naked chest, and she screamed out. Suddenly, a hot, greasy hand fell over her mouth, and pale blue eyes glowered down into her green ones, suddenly sober._

"_You scream again and I'll shove this whiskey bottle down your throat, girl." Rhea quieted down, whimpering and mewling under her breath as he began to remove his pants clumsily. Tears began to trickle down her face, intermixing with the liquor on her olive skin. Her attentions were drawn back to the drunken bastard on top of her as he grasped her thighs and spread them apart._

"_No," Rhea whispered in a small voice, "please, please, I'll do anything, just don't- please don't do this..."_

_The drunkard smiled at her, "Too late, Princess," and abruptly entered her with a quick thrust. Rhea thrashed beneath him, moaning in agony as her muscles stretched and contorted for this new intruder. He decided to silence her by thrusting his tongue into her mouth. Her cries were muffled as he began pistoning in and out of her body._

_When the drunk man finally finished, he poured the last of the whiskey down her throat by force and left her there, lost in a pained, drunk haze. She began to sob, wrapping herself in the ragged blanket that she'd been about to go to sleep in. As she cried, the exhaustion began to catch up with her, and she fell asleep in the shadow of the dumpster, lost in a world of nightmares..._

_*Next morning*_

"_Rey? Oh my kami, what's happened to you?"_

_Rhea groaned as she woke up, feeling nauseous, bleary, and in pain. Talia was leaning over her, eyes full of fear and concern._

"_Talia, I-" Rhea whispered, and then lurched to sit upright so she could empty her guts. Luckily, Talia had moved her clothes so the puke just hit the grimy ground._

"_Come on, baby girl; let's get you cleaned up... I'm- I'm so sorry that I left you hanging like this." Nat gently helped Rhea to her feet and wrapped the blanket around her naked body, "I'll hail a taxi, and we'll get you nice and clean."_

_The younger girl nodded listlessly and allowed herself to be led from the alley, too numb to shed a single tear..._

_Two months later, she found out that she was pregnant, and her life was never the same again..._

_*Current time*_

"I could care less about Louie right now; the bastard thinks he can get away with paying half-price, you're more important than he is." Natalia snapped, stirring Rhea from her thoughts, "now go shower."

"Fine." Rhea huffed, retreating to the bathroom. Natalia watched her go, and then called after her, "and give me your clothes so I can wash them. At least go back out there with clean clothes, because I know you'd never take new ones, you self-sacrificial saint."

"I'll leave them outside of the bathroom door."

"Good. I'll get you some clothes to wear until they're out of the dryer, and I'll let you know when the twins wake up." Natalia called after her, and then laid a blanket over the two cherubs on the sofa before heading into her tiny kitchen to start a pot of coffee and some hot water to make some cocoa for the girls.

*In the shower*

Rhea had to bite her lip to keep from moaning as the cold water washed over her grimy skin. It'd been so long since her last shower, and it was wonderful to be clean again. She grabbed a towel and a bar of soap, scrubbing vigorously at her skin to get rid of the dirt. A puddle of murky brown water swirled around her feet, and then disappeared into the drain. After plenty of scrubbing, her skin shown with a rich, olive undertone, highlighting her hair and her bright green eyes.

Rhea climbed out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her wet body. Her naturally curly hair hung at her shoulders in damp ringlets. Talia opened the door a smidge and passed her a set of clean clothing, "get dressed. I made coffee."

Rhea took the clothing and closed the door. She unfolded the clothing and rolled her eyes, _of course Nat would give me something of hers._ The clothing included fresh underwear, a pair of pink sweats, a white thermal top, and some thick white terry socks. Rhea sighed again and began to put on the clothing, ignoring the urge to moan at the softness of the new fabric against her battered, dry skin.

When she emerged from the restroom, small, dainty coughing came from the living room, and she immediately rushed to go check on her angels.

Both girls were awake, and the smaller one was having a coughing fit. Talia knelt next her, rubbing her back and whispering soothing words.

Belle spotted her mother and reached out to her, still coughing violently. The young mother scooped her baby up and kissed her forehead, murmuring comforts in her ear. Her green eyes turned to the ceiling, and a tear trickled, unseen, down her cheek.

_Kami, what did I do to deserve all of this?_

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**Finish Date: May 25, 2013**

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**A bit shorter than I thought, but the next chapter will, hopefully, be longer. Next chapter will explore Goten's life as a single man, as well as his friend, Daren. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what the couples will be later on in the fic, but I'm not saying in case anyone else doesn't happen to know. See you next chapter!**


	2. Streghe vita: Goten

**Alright, now it's Goten's turn. I'll place him at 37 years, Trunks is 38, and Pan is 26. Bra is 27, Marron's 27, Uub's 35, and Daren is 34.**

**Daren- Tall; about 6,5, with messy auburn hair and bright blue eyes and a natural slight tan to his skin. His older sister recently got engaged, leaving him the only one not married on his side of the family. Both of his sisters, the elder and the younger, are either engaged or married. He and Goten met through work in the mail room in Capsule Corp, and the two of them bonded.**

**Alright, now that the story's been properly explained, we can start off with Goten's side of the story and bring him and Rhea together somehow. I'm still trying to figure out how to go about that, but that won't happen until a bit later. In the meantime, we get to see Pan, my personal favorite character, from the sidelines, rather than being the main character.**

**I've decided to take a different approach with Goten's dating history, so feel free to scream at me, because it'll hurt the poor guy.**

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**No POV**

"Hey, Uncle G, Trunks asked me to bring you this. He said it needs to get down to Bra in the labs." Pan smiled and placed an industrial sized envelope in Goten's hand. Goten rolled his eyes and leaned down to kiss her cheek. She blushed and hit him, "Go on and head down there."

"Alright. Give Trunks some sugar for me." Goten teased, and Pan huffed indignantly, blushing fire engine red.

The son of Goku shook his head as his niece walked off. It was still shocking to see her in pencil skirts, slacks, button downs, blouses, panty hose, and heels almost every day. Trunks worked _hard_ to get her to be his secretary, and Pan had to sacrifice some of the time she spent in jeans or a gi.

The Son turned on his heel and made his way to the elevator, dreading facing his ex.

Yes, he and Bra had dated for four years, but things ended badly, so badly. She'd been seeing Juunanago behind his back, and was even pregnant with his child at one point. She ended up miscarrying the child and went into a state of depression for a while. One year ago, when it first happened, he would've said she deserved to feel such pain, but now he knew she didn't love him, at least not like she did Juunanago...

_*one year earlier*_

"_Babe, I'm home!" Goten called, stepping into the apartment. He heard a squeal from their bedroom, followed by several thumps and the sound of something heavy crashing to the floor. Bra's happy sigh came from the room, and a smile spread across Goten's face. His beautiful Princess has a bit of a surprise in store for him. His feet began to guide him towards the door leading to his bedroom. The cedar door rested against the wall within the room._

_As he drew closer to the open door, he heard Bra whispering something. Her whisper became a low moan that set his loins ablaze. He stepped into the doorway... and froze, the smile dripping from his face like melting ice._

_She was on her knees, her hands gripping the headboard hard. Her beautiful cerulean hair fell in her face, hiding him from her view. Her gorgeous body was bare, and masculine hands gripped her hips, shuddering as a set of hips slammed into her backside. The hips froze, pressed intimately against her creamy bum, and icy blue eyes met his black ones with surprise and dread._

"_Babe, why'd you- oh kami, Goten..." Bra threw the hair out of her face to look back and see why her lover had stopped, but her gaze halted on Goten. His gaze shifted to her, and she bit her lip at the anger and pain in the depths of his eyes._

"_How long?"_

"_What do you mean?" Bra scrambled into a robe and gave Juunanago his clothes. The android put the clothes on hastily, keeping his eyes on the demi saiyan for any signs of violence._

"_You know exactly what I mean, Buraja. How long have you been screwing him behind my back?" Goten snarled, pointing at the fearful android._

_Bra winced at his usage of her full name and stood up, "a month or so. Goten, I never meant to hurt you, but we have feelings for each other, and we have for a while, and things just happened."_

"_So you couldn't break things off with me before you went and started fucking him?" Goten asked coldly, "you say you never meant to hurt me, and yet you couldn't wait to get out of my bed before you went sliding into his. Oh wait; you didn't go to his bed, because you dragged him into mine."_

"_Goten, please..."_

"_I don't want to hear it. I want you gone by the time I get back here." With that, the son of Goku stormed out of the apartment and slammed the door behind him. A crack appeared in the wall from the force..._

*Current time*

Goten shook himself and stepped into the elevator. A familiar blonde stood in the elevator, conversing with an auburn haired man. Both of them looked up at him with smiles, "Hey, Goten."

"Hey, Maz, Daren." Goten greeted his two friends kindly, slapped Daren lightly on the back, and hugged Marron, "so, did the thing with Ronnie go through?"

"Nah, she wasn't interested." Daren replied, glancing at the woman in question before the doors slid closed, "where are you headed, man?"

"Veronica Lankford, you mean?" Marron asked, cutting in on Goten's reply, "I thought she was married."

"That must suck. Putting the moves on married women isn't cool, man." Goten jokingly, and then stood ramrod straight when the door opened, revealing the bluenette he needed to see. Tension quickly became palpable in the air between them.

Bra glanced up at his face quickly before looking away, "Goten." Goten placed the envelope in her hands, "it's from Trunks." she nodded absently and took it, glancing at the busy scientists in the labs behind her.

Even with two years gone by, things were still awkward and uncomfortable between them and Juunana, who made himself scarce when Goten was near.

"Goten, come on." Daren's voice pulled him from his thoughts, "we've got to go back to the mail room. Ms. Briefs." He paused to nod at Bra. There was a time where he'd called her by her first name; and they'd gotten along pretty well, but their camaraderie died when she cheated on Goten, and he refused to forgive her for what she'd done, no matter how badly things had gone for her afterwards.

Bra winced and nodded once in return, "Mr. Foster." The elevator slid closed, and Goten turned to look at the steel wall of the elevator, "it's so awkward between us."

"That's because you need closure. The two of you need to hash things out between yourselves and get some kind of peace between yourselves, because both of you feel threatened by the other." The doors opened when Marron had finished her therapeutic speech, revealing Uub, Trunks, and Pan.

"What did Bra do now?" Pan asked coldly. Her close friendship with Bra had broken and didn't seem to be on the mend, even after a year. Bra had a small, shiny pink scar under her left eye; a result of Pan's anger towards her for betraying her Uncle. When she'd first received the wound, there'd been a black eye to go with it for weeks.

"Nothing, Panny, relax." Goten warned, placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her. She huffed and grasped his hand, "I have zero respect for her, Goten."

Pan had become a bit protective of him in the wake of Bra's backstabbing. She'd been there for him through it all; every single one of them had, but it'd been Pan; and Trunks by default, who'd sat with him during the night when he couldn't sleep without venting his feelings, who'd sparred with him when his anger got the best of him, and she; alone, was the one who held him at night when his grief and pain got the best of him. He felt blessed to have her as a niece/ little-big sister.

"I can't help the fact that I don't like her. She became an entirely different person than the girl that I grew up with." Pan huffed irritably, and Trunks pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I know you're not overly fond of my sister, but please be civil with her at lunch?"

"I'll civilly give her another black eye, and this time it'll take all the makeup in the world to cover that bad boy up." Pan said under her breath, and Marron snickered and slapped Pan a '_subtle_' low five. Their significant others rolled their eyes skywards.

"Come on, 'Ten, we're going to lunch." Trunks, pretending to ignore Pan's quip, patted his friend's arm, "Bra's bringing Juunana, so... if you don't want them come, it's fine. We'll go someplace else for lunch."

"And _why_," Pan piped up, "can't we just tell those little shits that they aren't invited?"

"Pan, it would be ruder to tell them we're meeting at one place and then head to another." Marron sniggered, and Pan nodded in agreement with her logic, "I like the way you think, Maz."

"It's up to you, man." Uub told Goten softly, halting the women's playful banter. Marron walked up to Uub and wrapped her arms around his torso. He smiled and laid his cheek on top of her head.

"I can't avoid her forever. Let's do this." Goten sighed, and then narrowed his eyes at his friends, "it's been a year, guys, you can't keep holding a grudge against her and walking on egg shells around me like this."

"She betrayed my family," Pan muttered, "I have a logical excuse."

"Our dads are basically brothers," Marron said ruefully, "and you're like the big brother I never had, so I have a reason not to play nice with her."

"You're telling me that you don't hold that against her anymore?" Trunks asked him quietly, "I mean; I'm not trying to say that you shouldn't let her off the hook; that's your decision alone, but seriously, do you think you're starting to let it go?"

"I don't know, but I can't keep running away from her like this. My father's the savior of this planet and it's shameful to him for me to run away from my problems like a scared child." Goten huffed, clenching his fists, "so I'm going to lunch with her, and you," he poked Pan in the side, "are going to be nice. You too, Maz."

"Ruin my fun, why don't you." Pan made a grab for Trunks' hand, but missed and grabbed his butt. She giggled and pinched him before releasing him, "my bad, dear." Trunks' cheeks turned a bright red, and the group dissolved into laughter as they headed to the elevator to get lunch.

"Nice to see who wears the pants in the relationship, eh, Trunksette?"

"Oh, shut up, Goten."

*at the diner*

The six friends entered the restaurant laughing and fooling around like children, basking in the wonderful glow of their camaraderie. The laughter kicked up a notch when Trunks' shoe caught the edge of the door frame, and he stumbled into the wall just inside of the diner.

"That was smooth, you Casanova, you." Pan teased, grabbing her fiancé's arm to steady him, "trying to get in good with the ladies, are you?"

"There's only one lady I need to get in good with." Trunks said in a husky voice, and then leaned down to kiss her on the lips. The others pretended to gag, puke, and faint when their tongues became involved, but they were ignored. Pan's cheeks flared bright red when she finally pulled away, and Goten felt a twinge of bitterness gnawing at him.

_My niece is happy and in love, soon to be married, Marron and Uub are married, Bra's engaged to... to Juunana, my brother's been married... everyone has someone. Why'd things have to turn out so different for me?_

Goten immediately regretted that thought and pushed the bitter, jealous feelings down. He then noticed that the group had sobered up completely, and Pan had her mother's trademark scowl on her face. His gaze moved to the entrance to the diner. (We'll just say they had sat down while he was having his moment of weakness.)

Bra was making her way over to the table, and Juunana was trailing behind her, face full of boredom. He always had that bored look about him, and Goten wondered what Bra had seen in him to just drop him like a hot rock.

"Hi, guys." Bra smiled timidly as she took a seat at the table. Juunana, that ass, wasn't gentlemanly enough to pull the chair out for her; Goten observed coolly.

"So, Maz, when are we going to look at dresses?" Pan asked, completely ignoring the young woman. Marron shrugged, "That depends on you, Pan, you're the bride." The Son woman blushed at her error and rolled her eyes, "how about tomorrow at eight?"

"It's fine by me, if our dear boss would give us the day off." Marron smiled sweetly at Trunks, "please, Mr. Briefs?" Trunks blushed softly and nodded, "pick something stunning, Pan-chan." Pan grinned and kissed his cheek, "I will, hon," she pretended to just notice Bra and smiled, "hey, Bra, didn't see you there."

"Sure you didn't." Bra muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes. She grabbed the menu and began to look at it, and then looked up at Goten, "hi, Goten." Goten nodded once and raised his menu up to block her gaze.

"Don't you just love how someone completely betrays someone's trust and then comes back and acts like none of it happened?" Marron asked Pan, though her gaze was on Bra as she spoke. "Actually, no I don't love it. It's sad that people think they can brush stuff like that under the-"

"Pan, Maz, we talked about this. Drop_. It._" Goten dropped the menu to shoot both of them a warning glare, and then picked his menu back up. Bra started to say something to him before he raised the menu, but he cut in, "don't think I'm asking them to stop for _your_ sake."

The bluenette choked on her words and then returned to perusing the menu. Juunana's eyes flashed with mischief, and he leaned forward on his elbows, a small smirk growing at his lips.

"So, Goten," he began lightly, "why are my niece and yours fighting your battles for you? Can't you handle a saiyan woman? Oh, that's right you can't, because if you could, Bra might still be yours."

"Funny how you weren't this bold when I walked in one you and Bra doing it doggy style." Goten said calmly, as though he were commenting on the weather, "why, you almost seemed... I don't know, _scared for your life_ or something."

"Doggy style, eh? Well, you've always seemed like a submissive little bitch, so I'm not surprised." Pan said coldly, glowering at Bra. "Pan, why don't you let sleeping dogs lie?" Bra snapped, trying to curb her blush.

"I'll let them lie when you go back in time and stop yourself from breaking my Uncle's heart, _Princess_." Pan snarled, standing up, "we all know that if you decide to jump across this table you'll end up with two black eyes and a broken nose this time. I hope your insurance plan covers plastics if you're stupid enough to try-"

"Pan," Goten snapped, standing up, "that's _enough_."

Pan shot the bluenette one last hateful glance and hissed, "I can't believe I thought you were my best friend. You're nothing more than a using, abusing _whore_."

Goten left the diner, fists clenched at his sides. The door slammed behind him, and he stormed down the street, irritated and angry thoughts flying through his head like a swarm of bees.

_I knew this wasn't a good idea_, he thought, _one year wasn't nearly enough time for everyone's hackles to go down_. At that moment, Goten desperately wished to be able to see things from Bra's perspective so he could explain to his friends what her motives were. She seemed to have had good intentions, but she went about things the wrong way. Either way, it didn't matter. Even if Bra hadn't cheated, his heart would've been broken, and his friends would've still been angry with her.

Goten's apartment building loomed overhead, shattering his thoughts. He wondered how long he'd been lost in his thoughts, as the diner they frequented was a good length of walking from his apartment building.

"Hey hot shot." A husky voice caught his attention, and Goten looked up, into the deep violet eyes of a beautiful woman.

"Um... hi." Goten replied, unsure of her intentions. She smiled and swung her blonde hair away from her face with a laugh, "looking for a good time, baby?"

"No thanks, I don't do prostitutes... no pun intended." Goten replied, feeling a little bad as her face fell. "It's alright, I completely understand." The beautiful woman turned to walk away, but Goten grasped her arm, "hey, can I treat you to something to eat?"

"I really don't want to intrude on you, and... I'm on the clock." She gestured to her stilettos, fishnets, pink mini skirt, and black leather top.

"I really don't mind, it's on me." Goten said kindly, "what's your name?"

"Natalia." She whispered, blushing. "Nice to meet you, I'm Goten. Come on, I know a really great place." Natalia sighed and followed the eager Son, knowing she'd have to get back to Rey and the girls soon.

*Later* **(A/N: No, Goten's not interested in Natalia. His mother just raised him to be courteous, considerate of others misfortune, and a gentleman. Combine that with his father's pure heartedness, and you get a very sweet man.)**

Goten watched the prostitute shovel fries and bits of burger into her mouth at a cut-throat pace, and wondered how long it'd been since she had a proper, home cooked meal. Just looking at her, he could see that she didn't eat nearly enough. He could count her ribs easily.

"I'm so sorry," she gasped between a bite of burger, "I hardly ever have enough money for a burger. Between buying new clothes for my... _job_ and keeping up on my rent, it's hard to keep food in the house. You are so easy to talk to," she smiled gently; "you have a trustworthy face. It's hard to _not_ tell you about all my troubles and woes."

"Thanks, I guess," Goten blushed, and Natalia giggled, "You have the cutest blush."

"Goten, I should've looked for you here first- what are you doing here with a hook-" Daren ran over to the table, but was cut off as Natalia looked up at him with venomous eyes and snapped, "Yes, I'm very aware of my job description, but you don't have to scream it to the whole _world_, ass hole." She smiled apologetically at Goten and began wrapping up her food to take with her, "I'm so sorry, Goten, but I need to get home. My friend, one of her kids is sick and she needs me to help her keep an eye on the poor thing."

"Here," Goten pushed his untouched food across the table to her, "you need it a lot more than I do."

"Thank you so much, Goten. I'll never forget this, I swear." Natalia shoved his three burgers into her bag, along with the fries, and carried the two drinks with her as she departed for home. Goten watched her go with a smile.

"What's up with you, man? First, you storm out on lunch, and now I find you treating a hooker to lunch. What's your damage, bro?" Daren, with much effort, pulled his gaze away from the swaying back side of the prostitute to look at Goten.

"My mother raised me to help others that are less fortunate to me. I was doing something good, so get off my ass, Daren." Goten snapped, standing up to glare at him, "and don't call her a hooker. Yes, her job is looked down upon in society, but she's doing what she has to in order to get by. Don't begrudge her that."

"Calm down, man, I just wanted to know what was up." Daren placed a hand on his shoulder, "what do you say we go get some coffee?"

"I'd appreciate that, thanks." Goten stood up and put his jacket back on. The two men left the diner together, settling into easy conversation as they made their way to the nearest Starbucks. In a matter of weeks, their sense of normalcy would be changed in a most irrevocable way.

* * *

**I am proud of myself! Just over three hours, and then the four from last night, and I was able to produce a substantial chapter. I'm in a very productive mood, right now, and I friggin love it! R&R por favor! –SukiChan12^-^**

**P.S. Next chapter will be more Rhea-centric, with an encounter between Daren and Natalia. I want to get a bit in with her really interacting with the twins, and I need to form a foundation between Talia and Daren. There's also Daren and Natalia's backgrounds to be included. We'll see what happens.**


	3. Streghe vita: Daren and Natalia

**I'm going to push updates on **_**Aionia Okeano**_** back some so I can finish the last three chapters of **_**Fumetsu Mai**_** really quickly, get **_**A Charmed Life**_** underway, and get back into **_**Phoenix Rise**_**. I want my smaller stories to have a chance to blossom before I throw myself back into the big one.**

_**Someone**_** asked about Trunks sitting by and letting Pan attack Bra. Well, little sister or no, he can't do much about the fact that she cheated on his best friend, and he's not too happy about it either. He does care about her, yes, and he won't allow Pan to go that far in the future, but he still isn't too fond of her. He's just a bit confused; I mean, how conflicted would you be if your little sister cheated on your closest friend?**

**Pan's behavior is justified because she grew up with Bra, and thought that she actually **_**knew**_** her, and then she turns around and does something like that. Feelings or no, Bra was in the wrong. They'll eventually get to a stalemate, but no telling when that'll happen. Onwards to the chapter!**

* * *

**No POV**

"Rey, I'm home!" Natalia called excitedly, rushing into the apartment. She barely locked the door behind her before sprinting into her tiny living room to see her friend.

Rhea was sitting on the couch, wiping Belle's sweaty, reddened face with a cool towel. Baili sat on her other side, a worried look on her little face as she watched her mother comfort her sister.

"How's she been?" Natalia set the bag of food on the table and walked over to the children. Baili slid off of the couch and hurtled into her arms. Talia kissed her forehead and scooped her up before walking to the couch and kneeling down.

"Not any better. I think she's gotten hotter than she was this morning." Rhea replied, "I gave her a lukewarm; well _cold_, bath and left her in her undies. Then I tried wrapping her up and letting it break, but I think that made the fever worse. Talia, I don't know what to do; the virus has never gotten this bad before."

"Keep her as cool as possible for now. Kami knows we can't afford to take her to the hospital." Talia whispered, and then touched Rhea's shoulder, "I brought you something to eat."

"I can't eat while she's so sick." Rhea said, resolved. Belle wailed softly, and she ran a hand through her hair, "I'm right here, baby girl. It's okay."

"Mummy..." The little girl whined, and then lapsed off into a feverish slumber. Rhea sighed and placed the cool towel on Belle's forehead, "I hope she'll sleep for a bit longer. She needs the rest."

"Come on, Rey, you need to eat and keep your strength up so you can watch out for these two. Come and eat." Talia grabbed her hand and led her to the small table and began unpacking the satchel full of food. Baili reached for a fry, and she laughed and placed one in the little girl's palm.

**(A/N: Quick change here, Baili just has asthma, no more poor hearing, because it's a bit hard to portray that.)**

"Where'd you get all of this? Did you steal it?" Rhea asked softly, eyeing the food warily. Natalia rolled her violet eyes skyward and laughed softly, "Sweetie, for once, no I didn't. I met this really sweet guy while I was on the clock and he bought me lunch."

"Whoa..." Rhea trailed off, "seriously?" Talia nodded eagerly and handed her friend a burger, "He was a really sweet guy. His mother raised him right, that's for sure." Rhea shook her head, "how do you know he didn't slip anything in this? What if he put something in here that could get you sick?"

"He didn't touch anything, Rey, he just paid for it, and then he watched me eat for a little bit. His friend was an as- I mean, a rude person," Natalia paused to check her language as she glanced down at Baili, who was contently munching on a little handful of fries, "he didn't put anything in the food, Rey, he was too nice for that."

"If you say so." Rhea mumbled, and then knelt down to pick Baili up and place her in one of the four chairs at the table, "you like the fries, honey?" Baili giggled and nodded, reaching for a few more. Natalia went to the kitchen to get a knife, and then cut one of the burgers into fourths for the children.

"Nat, I don't think Belle will be able to keep this down. It's too solid for her, and with her fever, she's bound to throw it back up." Rhea mumbled, and Talia nodded, "you're right. I think I might have some broth in the cabinet for her." She went into the kitchen to check.

Rhea sat in the other chair, unwrapped a burger, and began to munch quietly, watching Baili eat her little section of burger with a smile. She glanced back to the sofa, and was soothed by the sight of Belle still sleeping, though restlessly with her fever.

"Has she woken up?"

Rhea jumped a foot in the air at the voice of her friend, and then whirled around, "please don't do that. You know how bad my nerves are. And no, she's still sleeping." She then grabbed a napkin from the table and wiped Baili's mouth clean of the sauce from her burger. Baili giggled and squeaked as her mother cleaned her face, and Rhea smiled softly.

"That's good. I'd hate for her to be awake while she's so hot. If she gets any hotter, then we'll have to take her to the hospital, regardless of money." Natalia said cautiously, and Rhea looked at her incredulously, "then social services will get involved and they'll take her and Baili away. Nat, they're all I have, I can't lose them."

"I know, but there's only so much we can do for her here." Nat said, "and they don't exist legally, so there's nothing they really can do without a birth certificate." Rhea bit her lip, "if they don't have birth certificates, then how will they get into the hospital?"

"Crap, you're right. We'll just have to hope it breaks on its own, then." Natalia whispered, watching Rhea clean Baili's mouth again. Just watching them made her yearn for her own mother...

_*a few years earlier* (I didn't give an exact year for her parents death, so we'll just say a few.)_

"_Ms. Johansen?" Natalia's head snapped up as her professor called on her, "Yes, ma'am?"_

"_You've been called to the administrative building. Don't worry; you're not in any trouble." The sweet elderly professor smiled as Natalia stood from her desk and left the lecture hall, and eventually the building. The trek from her class building to the administrative building was a good fifteen to twenty minutes, and she took her time getting to the headmaster's office._

_When she entered the outer office, the secretary gave her a piteous glance and smiled sadly, "The Headmaster will see you, now, darling." Natalia frowned, confused by the pity on the woman's face, but walked past her desk and entered the Headmaster's office._

_To her surprise, two police officers stood, talking with the Headmaster. Both of them looked up when she entered; pity on their faces._

"_Ms. Johansen, I think you should have a seat." Headmaster Giles said softly, like he was afraid to scare her off. "Umm, Mr. Giles, could you please tell me why I'm here?"_

"_You see, Ms. Johansen, there's been an accident. Your parents..." she blanked out the rest, shock and horror filling her being. She unconsciously stood up, knocking her chair over, "no... no, no way in hell! My parents aren't dead!"_

"_Calm down, Ms. Johansen." The female police officer said soothingly, trying to abate her anger and disbelief. "No! Stop lying to me!"_

"_I'm afraid we're not lying, Ms. Johansen." Mr. Giles turned the television to a news channel, and realization hit her hard. That black, crumpled, flaming ball of metal was her mother's favorite Rolls-Royce. Her parents had mentioned coming down to see her at school the other day, but they never said when. That highway was the one they always took to go to her nursing school._

"_Oh kami... no..." everything went black..._

_*a few weeks later*_

"_Ms. Johansen, I'm afraid that due to this clause in the will, all of your parents' assets go directly to your aunt." Natalia looked over at her Aunt, who had a victorious smirk on her face, "what, even my trust fund?"_

"_Yes, Ms. Johansen, I'm sorry." The lawyer said, truly feeling terrible for the young girl. How cruel could one be, to leave their niece high and dry after such a devastating loss._

"_She's only my mother's sister, how does she have rights to my father's money!?" Natalia leaned across the desk, face flushed with anger and outrage._

"_Your parents never signed a pre-nuptial agreement, and whatever was his was your mother's. You're not an independent adult until your twenty-fifth birthday, and you're only twenty, not old enough to claim your trust fund. You have to be twenty one for that, so all assets go to your aunt."_

"_Sorry, darling, but Auntie needs the money more than you do." Her aunt Mavis placed a hand on her back. Natalia whirled around to face her, chest heaving with her ire,"How am I supposed to pay for my last year of nursing school and the exam? You have my fucking trust fund, and all of my parents' money! You don't have the right, you two-faced bitch! What would my mother say if she were still here!?"_

"_But she's NOT here, now is she?" Mavis said, smirking, "and get a job, that's not my problem. Prostitution is booming, I heard."_

"_Why can't you just pay for it and hand over my trust fund? Or are you just that selfish and heartless that you'd let me be homeless? My parents worked hard for that money so I'd have something to support myself with incase things didn't go right for me in the future. Without that, I have nothing. Aunt Mavis, please..." Natalia fell to her knees, "please... don't do this to me."_

"_No. I've struggled all my life to get by, and you and your stupid mother have lived the pampered life, having everything you'd ever need. It's time you saw what things were like for me." Mavis hissed, "I'll put MY daughter through nursing school for you, how about that?"_

"_I hope you rot in hell, you bitch. No wonder grandma always liked mom better, you're just the spawn of the devil." Natalia said, voice packed full of venom. Mavis reared back and slapped her, "have a nice life, soon-to-be prostitute." She then grabbed her purse, the papers that signified her the sole heir to all the things Natalia's parents had left behind for her, and left the room, leaving a broken young woman behind..._

_*the next day*_

"_I can't continue going to school here, Mr. Giles." Natalia told the headmaster softly, biting her lip to hold back tears. "Natalia, you're the top of your class, what's wrong?"_

"_I can't pay for the last semester." There. Like a band aid. Just pull it off quickly._

"_Why not?"_

"_My Aunt took everything from me, even the trust fund my parents had for me, and left me with nothing. I have my stuff out of my dorm room by tonight, and I'll be gone by tomorrow." Before the headmaster could say anything else, she'd left the room in tears._

_*a week later*_

_The last thousand in her bank account had gone to purchasing a small apartment in the slums of Satan City, and buying cheap furniture to furnish it in an attempt to make it feel like home._

_Natalia dropped her stuff by the door and fell to the floor in a sobbing heap. How had things gone so badly? She'd tried getting a job at a few places with horrid pay, and failed miserably. Her aunt was right. There was only one profession left for her, and she only had four hundred bucks left on her debit card. With a heavy heart, she left the apartment and headed to the mall to buy a few things from Victoria's Secret for her new 'job'..._

_*that night*_

_She stood on the corner, feeling uncomfortable in the revealing outfit, but trying her best to look like the other prostitutes working the corner like her. Her make-up was thick and overly done, and she felt utterly disgusting._

"_Hey baby," she choked on her words as she sauntered over to a black SUV, "looking for a nice ride?" to her surprise and horror, the man flashed a badge, got out of the car, and slapped a set of handcuffs on her. She could see the other whores laughing at her, calling her a newbie as she was shoved into the back of the SUV and carted off to the police station..._

_*at the station*_

"_Please," she begged, "don't call my aunt. I don't want her to have the satisfaction of knowing she was right."_

_The police officer shook his head at her, "what do you mean? What are you doing, selling your body on a corner when your parents were the Johansens?"_

"_My aunt Mavis stole everything they left away from me, and I have nowhere else to turn. Please, don't tell her. She's the one who made the suggestion, and she was right..."_

"_That's horrible. How could she be so cruel?" A female officer piped up. "She hates me and she hated my mother, so it was easy for her to turn her back on me and steal the money from me without batting a lash. She thinks we owe her because, to her, it's our fault that her life was so hard." Natalia said softly._

"_Let this poor girl go." The sweet officer ordered, and began unlocking the cell, "look, you do what you need to and we won't say anything else about it."_

"_Thank you so much. It's nice to know that there are still good people in this world." Natalia smiled, truly grateful. "Come on, I'll give you a lift." Natalia smiled gratefully and followed the kind officer to her cruiser..._

*current time*

Her aunt was the new president of Bexel Corporated, the second largest manufacturing company in the world after Capsule Corp. Her father had been the president before he died, and her aunt, the only living relative she had, was now in charge. She was willing to bet that her aunt didn't do anything productive, and let the employees run the company.

"Hey," Rhea's gentle voice brought out of her reverie, and she met her bright green eyes, "don't think about it. It's not worth you obsessing over. One of these days, you'll get out of these slums and back where you belong, and she'll have to eat her words."

**(A/N: Rhea's words will come true, but, for you to understand that, I have to explain Daren's background history.)**

"I can't help it. Your family is the last people you expect to turn on you." Natalia said, biting her lip, and then she suddenly grinned, "I know you don't like men much, and I don't blame you, but I think you'd like Goten. Maybe if I can come across him again, you'll get to see what I mean by how sweet he is. I know where his apartment building is, as strange as that sounds."

"I'll think about taking you up on that when Belle gets better." Rhea said, glancing back at her baby. Baili reached up and patted her cheek, "Mummy, eat some fries." She placed a few fries in her mother's hands, "eat, Mummy." Rhea laughed and put the fries in her mouth, "there you go, baby, happy now?" Baili giggled and nodded eagerly, "yup."

*meanwhile*

"So," Goten began, sipping his coffee, "when's your sister's wedding, and who's the lucky guy?" Daren rolled his eyes, "she's getting married to the Prince of some small providence of the coast of Fiji. Can you believe it? It's her dream come true."

"Really? A Prince? That's some crazy stuff, man. What's the name of the place?"

"Aruvia. It's really beautiful." Daren said softly, and Goten immediately knew what he was thinking. He himself had the same thought when Trunks told him he was going to propose to Pan.

"You wish it was you getting married don't you?" Daren nodded, not bothering to deny anything. "How'd they meet?" Goten asked, "I'm in the mood for a story."

"Dahlia was down there, visiting the ranch Dad recently opened on the island. Prince Maako was down there with his mother, the Queen, checking it out, and it was love at first sight, her words, not mine." Daren snickered, "they dated for a year, and he popped the question on their year anniversary; four months ago. She's been planning it for two months now. Lāori's excited for her, that's for sure."

Daren was the middle child of three, with a sister on each side of him. His parents, David and Livy Foster owned an international ranching business, and it was very successful. He was going to be the heir to it all, since neither of his sisters wanted a part of it, and had married into other rich families.

His younger sister, Lāori, had married into another rancher family; the Olivas, and was expecting her first child with the sole heir; Jason, a good friend of Daren's. His older sister, Dahlia, was, of course, marrying a Prince, leaving him the only single one out of his parents' three kids.

Daren's mother and father didn't understand why he, the heir to a multi-million dollar ranching company, could find joy working in the mail room of CC when he could comfortably not work and get by fine. His dad didn't understand him at all, and he didn't mind keeping it that way. His mother had a bit more understanding, and didn't care who he married, as long as they didn't try to use him for money like that Mavis woman who'd tried to blackmail him; and his father by default, into selling the company to her.

**(A/N: Somebody's Auntie gets around, hm?)**

Mavis Palladian had recently come into a lot of money with her sister's passing; along with her husband, but, if he remembered correctly, they'd had a daughter around Lāori's age who'd been attending nursing school at the time of her parents' death, and she hadn't been in the news media since. Shouldn't all that money gone to her?

The Johansen's had been powerful family, and were close with the Briefs family. Natasha Johansen had been a good friend of Bulma Briefs before her death, but their children didn't know each other. Natalia, the daughter, was much more reserved and quiet than that wild child, Bra Briefs, and Trunks had been told old to know her. What had happened to her?

"... You're spacing, man." Goten's voice brought him out of his reverie. "Sorry, man, I was just wondering about something. Remember the Johansen family? Mrs. Bulma was good friends with them and they died four years ago. The couple only had a daughter; named Natalia, and she hasn't been in the news since they died."

"Yeah, her aunt tried to blackmail you that one time. How'd her Aunt get all the money? You think she got cut out of the will?" Goten was curious. Daren shrugged, "she seemed like a really sweet girl. She wasn't in the news for illegal stuff like Bra, and she went to social events with her parents all the time. I can't remember what she looked like though... Her eyes, I can remember. They were such a beautiful violet."

"Is that a crush, I hear? Do you know if anyone in her family was blonde?"

"Her mother was, and she had some of the weirdest purple eyes... why are you so interested?" Daren asked softly, with one brow raised, and then flushed with indignation, "No, I don't have a crush on her! She's ten years younger than me!"

"You never know when you might run into an heiress while going for lunch or coffee." Goten chuckled, "I just want to see if I've ever run into her and didn't know it. I was just asking, man, chill."

"The violet eyes would be a dead giveaway, that's for sure. They were only unique to her mother's side of the family from some weird genetic mutation." Daren laughed, "What? Are you going to try to solve the mystery behind her disappearance?" Goten chuckled and shrugged, "perhaps. Who knows, maybe her aunt pulled some underhanded strings to get her name taken off of the will."

"That would be a horrible thing to do to such a sweet girl. My mother knew her and her parents, too. Said they were some of the nicest people you'd ever meet. I've only spoken to her once, and I can't even remember what she looked like... I only can remember those eyes." Daren laughed at himself, "me and my fallible memory, eh?"

"Oh, yeah, you'd forget yourself if it were possible." Goten chuckled, "if I ever met her, and that was what happened, I'd help her get what was rightfully hers back. That's just... that's worse than wrong, really. You don't stab family in the back."

"I'd help her, too, man." Daren pulled out his phone and began to play a little game on it, humming to himself, "I wonder if Dahlia and Lāori knew her... I should ask, huh?"

"Maybe they have a picture of her?"

"Are we starting a sleuthing mission, Goten?" Daren chuckled. "Sure, why not? I'm curious, now. Let's get Trunks in on it, and maybe Uub. It'll be fun." Goten laughed at himself, but his curiosity really was piqued.

The Johansen family had been some really nice people, according to Bulma, and they didn't seem like the type to leave _nothing_ behind for their child, no matter how horrible they might've behaved. Bulma also said that the Aunt seemed pretty shady, like she had something to hide, and that her children were just off to her. He'd put some heart into this little search.

"Alright, I'll ask my sisters about her, and we can settle your curiosity." Daren finished his coffee and stood up, "there's a game on tonight. My place or yours?"

"Let's go to mine." Goten said at once. He wanted to see if the prostitute from earlier was still around. She'd said her name was Natalia, and he didn't really look at her eyes... _That's a bit farfetched, Goten, _he thought to himself, _how is it possible for someone to go from an heiress to a prostitute?_

Daren was lost in a vague memory of a social event he'd been to a few years ago. He'd ran into Natalia; she'd been talking with his mother, and her mother had been there, too. Natasha was a former model, and still carried herself with the grace and poise of one, despite her retirement more than five years prior.

_... "Oh, here he is." Livy grasped Daren's arm and pulled him to a halt, "this is Daren, my only son." Mrs. Johansen smiled at his blush, "he's the spitting image of his father, but with your hair color, Livy."_

_The shy girl at her side had been examining him, but looked away with a blush when their gazes met. There was something stunning about the way the deep red flush of her embarrassment flooded through her ivory cheeks, lighting them up._

_Her hair was in a braided bun at the nape of her neck, and her beautiful body was sheathed in an ivory gown that fit tightly to her curves before flaring out at the peak of her hip span in a full silk skirt. The bodice was strapless and covered in sparkling beads of white, silver, and violet, and the skirt had violet and silver crystal curlicues all over it._

_Her unique, rare violet gems of eyes were enhanced by a thin line of ivory eyeliner at the very edge of her lids, embossed by dark ebony liner, and deep purple shadow. Her lips were coated in a soft pink lip color._

_Before he even realized what was happening, he was reaching out to take her hand and pressing a kiss against the smooth skin, loving the sensation of her skin against his lips, "You're the spitting image of your mother, if not more beautiful." He shot her mother a wink, and the woman blushed and hit his mother on the arm, "he's quite the charmer, isn't he?"_

"_T-thank you," the poor girl stuttered, blushing furiously at being put on the spot, "I'm Natalia. Nice to meet you."_

"_The pleasure's all mine." He said softly, kissing her hand once more before releasing it._

"_Natalia's going to start nursing school this spring, Daren," his mother told him, "she graduated high school two years early, and now she's going to one of the most prestigious nursing schools in the country."_

"_You must have a brilliant mind, Natalia." He said suavely, and she grinned at him, more at ease with his attention, "thank you."_

"_If you'll excuse us," Mrs. Johansen spoke up, "I believe Bulma was waiting for us to come see her." She pecked Daren and his mother on the cheek before leading her daughter away. Daren's eyes lingered on her back as she disappeared into the crowd._

"_I think someone has a crush." His mother's voice shattered his reverie, and he rolled his eyes at her, "Mom, she's only eighteen. I'm almost ten years older than her."_

"_Love knows no age, darling." His mother said softly, and then left him to his thoughts as his father came to collect her for a dance..._

Daren shook his head and glanced at Goten. They were outside of his apartment building, and the older man was looking around, as if he were looking for someone as they neared the front doors. Once they reached the doors, Goten's eyes scanned over the darkened sidewalk once more before darkening with disappointment.

"Come on, the game's going to start soon." Goten pulled the door open and led the way to the elevator, "we can start our mystery-solving tomorrow."

*outside*

Natalia rushed up to Goten's apartment building just in time to see him going into the elevator inside with his friend from earlier. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "maybe I'll catch you another time. I'd better get to my corner... oh my kami..." as the elevator doors began to close, Goten's friend turned around completely, and she was able to really see his face. Earlier, she'd been too annoyed and angry to really look at him, but now, she could see his features clearly as the door slid shut.

_Daren... he's friends with Daren... Daren called me a hooker..._

Shame and embarrassment ripped through her, and she knew she had to stay away from Goten. If Daren figured out that she was a prostitute, he'd... she didn't know what he'd do, but it wouldn't be good. She'd rather die then let him find out how badly life had become for her. The young woman fought back tears as she made her way to her usual spot, lost in memory...

_... "You're the spitting image of your mother, if not more beautiful." Daren's smooth, honeyed voice caressed her ears in the most intense way, and her heart pounded in her chest as she stared into his blue eyes._

"_T-thank you," she managed, internally cursing herself as her cheeks lit up like Christmas trees, "I'm Natalia. Nice to meet you."_

_Her mother and his proceeded to brag about her achievements, and she felt a pleasant flutter in her chest when he commented on the brilliance of her mind, and this time, she managed to thank him without a stutter._

"_If you'll excuse us," her mother said, and she had to force herself from rolling her eyes and voicing her desire to stay in Daren's company, "I believe Bulma is waiting on us." Her mother said her goodbyes to the Fosters and led the way across the ballroom. She could feel the heat of his eyes on her as she left him, and her heart began to pound again._

"_You like him, don't you?" Her mother asked with a smirk, and she filled her voice with indignation as she responded, "Mama, I do not! He's more than nine years my senior!"_

"_Calm yourself, darling. I was just stating an observation. He would make a wonderful husband, and you and I both know that love knows no bounds. Age means nothing in the face of love." Her mother kissed her cheek softly before being pulled onto the dance floor by her father. She watched the two of them dance, completely lost in thought..._

She came out of her reverie as a man came near her spot, leaned against the window of the closed corner store with a perverted smirk on his face, "how much for the whole night, sexy?"

Natalia forced a smirk of her own on her face and asked sassily, "how much you _got_, sugar?"

Pushing down her desire for things to go back to the way they were, Natalia followed him back to his car. There was no point dwelling on the past and wishing for it to return. What mattered was the present, and that was where she was, and where she would stay...

* * *

**How sad was that? Unfortunately, stuff like this DOES happen. Family can be cruel. Anyways, I think I'll wait a bit before bringing those two together, but it's hard with four main characters to my usual one. I finished this in a matter of hours, and I am proud to be able to say this. I think I'll wait until after graduation before I update again. I sent job applications out today, and I'm looking forward to any replies I get. Wish me luck! –SukiChan12^-^**

**P.S. I'll reveal a bit more of Natalia's past next chapter, along with some of Rhea's.**


	4. Riempire gli spazi vuoti

**Alright, I'm making another change. In order for Rhea and Natalia to have met on the street, Rhea would have to be two years older. So she was raped at seventeen, and had the twins at eighteen. Now, currently, she's twenty two. I'm trying make the story interlock. To explain this first part, Rhea's mother made her steal from people to pay for drugs, and when she didn't, her mother would beat on her. Her father was a good deal nicer, as you will see. I'm not including any abuse scenes.**

**Anytime I say nursing school, I mean medical school, so watch out for that. I've noticed a few mistakes in the first three chapters, and I apologize.**

**Daren's comment about poor memory is the result of a child hood head injury. He was riding on horseback through his father's ranch, when the horse got spooked by a snake and bucked him off. He hit his head on a wooden post, and ever since, he's had trouble remembering things, but if he sees what he's trying to remember, then he can recall it fine. He can remember certain aspects of something or someone, like Natalia's eyes. If their gaze were to meet (hint, hint) he'd remember her instantly. If he tries to force it, he might recall a few details.**

**The moment they shared in the last chapter was, indeed, love at first sight, but they didn't realize it. There's a another part to that night that'll be included in this chapter. Enjoy the read!**

* * *

**No POV**

_Warm rays of sunshine washed over her body as she slowly woke up to the feeling of warm hands on her hips. She rolled over with a moan, snuggling eagerly into the warm body in the bed with her. A strong arm wrapped around her body, surprising her a little. Soft lips pressed against her temple, and, with a content sigh, she nestled into the embrace that this warm stranger provided. He buried his face in her soft blonde hair and took a deep inhale of her natural scent._

"_Mmmm, sweet girl..." Daren crooned, nuzzling her hair. She sat up with a gasp and turned to face him..._

The voice, along with the dream, faded away, leaving Natalia in the arms of an overweight, putrid-smelling, Japanese man. She groaned in disgust and rolled out of bed, prying his sweaty paws away from her hips and stomach.

The pair of pants he'd shed in his haste to bed Natalia's caught her eye, and she rushed over to the trousers and removed the 800 zeni he owed her for the night. She smirked and stuffed the wad of bills in her bra before putting on the rest of her clothing.

A trench coat that was several times too big for her was hanging from the closet door, and Natalia wrapped herself up in, tying the sash snuggly around her waist. She applied a fresh layer of red lipstick and kissed the man on the cheek.

_Hope you had a nice time, sugar, cuz I sure didn't_, she wrote the words on a note, omitting the second part, and tucked it into his boxers before leaving his apartment. She locked the door behind her with his spare key and hid it under the eave before making her way down the street to her own home, a strange kind of guilt niggling at her self-conscious...

*At Natalia's apartment*

_The young girl walked slowly up to her home and knocked on the door, whimpering and fighting back tears. In her hand, she clutched the strap of a small backpack, full to the brim with cash, wallets, and change, her haul for the day._

_With her innocent, round face and big green eyes; framed by glossy black curls, no one could find fault in such an angelic child. It was easy for her to slip her little hands into the pockets and purses of business men and women sitting on benches, waiting for a taxi or bus, relieving them of their riches. She was quick on her feet, and; with her angelic face, no one could blame her for any loss. She went home with a full back pack every day._

"_What the hell- oh... it's you, brat." A short woman with emerald, bloodshot eyes, olive skin, and light brown hair opened the door and let the girl in, "go give it to your father and head out again."_

_The little girl nodded and headed deeper into the small, ratty house. Her body shook with nervousness as she entered a bedroom with a mattress in it. A tall man with curly black hair, tan skin, and violet eyes sat on the bed, talking on the phone with someone. Between his feet, in a black bag, lay a few plastic baggies filled with a white, powdery substance._

"_Daddy? I got you something."_

_The man looked up and took the Dora the Explorer backpack from her and dumped it on the bed, "hm, you hit the jack pot, Rhea, these are Rolex's." He held up over twelve wrist watches, "and this is solid gold," and a pocket watch. There were wallets full of bills, wadded up bills, coins, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, as well as credit and debit cards._

"_Here," he passed her a pack filled with clothes and other things in her size, "I want you to get out of here."_

"_Daddy, what do you mean? I want to stay with you and Mommy." Rhea whispered, taking the pack from him gingerly._

"_This is no environment for you to grow up in and... I don't want to bring a child up in this mess. Look, when Daddy and Mommy get cleaned up, we'll come and find you, I promise. For now, I want you to go to the bus station and look for an old lady with a green skirt. She'll take care of you."_

"_Okay, Daddy. I love you. Take care of yourself and Mommy." Rhea kissed him on the cheek and left the room. The man watched her go with saddened eyes..._

**(A/N: There's a very big aspect about her father that you guys should've caught. It'll mean something big for Rhea in the future. Yes, it will come up later on this chapter, when Goten and Daren start doing some research on Natalia and her family.)**

Rhea sat up, chest heaving as she fought off the last vestiges of her dream. She blinked back tears, _Daddy..._ her mother had never cared about her, but her father, despite his addiction, had looked out for her. It was her mother's idea, not his, to start her off stealing on the street for drug money. He'd sent her away for her own good, because, at the rate her mother was going, she would've ended up being whored out for more drug money at her mother's order.

The young mother crawled over to the sofa and checked Belle's temperature. To her relief, it had broken in the night, and she was only slightly warmer than what was normal. Baili was sleeping in the armchair peacefully, and Natalia was still out on her job.

As soon as she thought of Natalia, the door knob wiggled and turned, and the door opened, revealing a worn out Natalia, clothed in a trench coat that was a few sizes too big and dwarfing her body. Her blonde hair was in tangles, and her face was puffy and red with tears. She never came home the morning after an all-nighter looking like that.

"Talia, what's wrong?" Rhea asked softly, standing up. Natalia jumped and turned to face her, eyes wandering to the pallet she'd made on the floor the night before, "why'd you sleep on the floor? You could've..." she trailed off at the disgusted look on Rhea's face, "_right_. You probably wouldn't want to sleep on the bed after all that I use it for... sorry."

"Stop trying to dodge the question, Talia." Rhea ordered, a motherly tone coming out in her firm voice, "what's wrong with you?" Natalia sighed and gestured for her to follow her into the kitchen. Once they were in the kitchen, Natalia took a seat on the counter and swung her legs. Rhea sat at the table and looked at her, waiting for a response.

"I saw someone last night." Natalia said at last, "Someone I know from my past. Remember the ass that was with the nice guy who bought the food? It turns out he was someone I knew from back then, when things were... _normal_."

"Really?" Rhea sat up, ready to hear more, "Who was he?"

"A very sweet guy. He's almost ten years older than me, and our parents were friends. I only got to meet him once." Natalia sighed mournfully, "I wish we could've talked more that night..."

"Oooo, is that a crush I hear?" Rhea asked teasingly, and Natalia's face fell. "What does it matter now?" She asked bitterly, "He'd never have a hooker as a girlfriend." The younger woman immediately felt bad, "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"It's fine. It's in the past, right? No going back." Natalia shook her head and wiped her eyes, which had been full of tears. How was it possible that she could miss someone that she barely knew? She shook herself again and glanced back at her friend, "How's Baby Belle?"

"The fever broke overnight, thank kami. She's still asleep, the little angel that she is." Rhea sighed and glanced back into the living room to check on her girls, "I'm glad she's alright, but it's only a matter of time before her temperature rises or drops again. Stupid virus."

"How about you fix something for breakfast, and I'll go shower. I smell kami-awful." Natalia winced, taking a whiff of herself.

"Yeah, you do that." Rhea agreed, and then giggled, "I'll fix something up for us in the meantime. Any appointments today?"

"Nope. Thank kami; I don't think I can handle anymore of... _that_ today." In her room, Natalia removed the trench coat and grabbed some of her favorite old pajamas from her bureau before retreating to the bathroom.

_I wonder if Daren knew it was me that he called a hooker_, she pondered as she started the shower, _even though it would be the truth, I don't want him to know... never. I never want him to know about this. About me and my new life. He's too important to be tainted by me and my issues. I... I lov- care about him too much. His opinion means so much to me, and it would be best that he remember the girl I was; rather than the girl I used to be. Does he even think about me? I doubt it. After all, we only knew each other for one night..._

Natalia shimmied out of her soiled lingerie and got under the icy spray of cold water, more than used to the bite of the cold water hitting her body, remembering that magical night...

_... "May I have this dance?"_

_Natalia jumped a foot in the air and whirled around. Daren stood there, chuckling softly, his hand outstretched to take hers. She huffed indignantly, her earlier shyness evaporated in the face of her mild irritation._

"_Why would I want to dance with you?" She asked coolly, folding her arms across her chest._

_Daren smiled; handsomely, she might add, and reached out to brush a stray hair away from her forehead, "A beautiful lady such as yourself shouldn't be without a dance partner, and I'm more than willing to fill the role." While retracting his hand, his fingers brushed lightly against her cheek, and a light shiver ran up her spine._

"_Flattery will get you nowhere, but it has earned you a dance." Natalia said at last, giggling at the end. She liked the way his blue eyes lit up when she giggled, and grasped his hand, "shall we?"_

_Daren nodded and kissed her hand again, "Of course, Ms. Johansen." The young heiress felt as though she were drifting on air as he led her out onto the dance floor. With little effort, they fell in step with the other couples, swirling gracefully along with the music._

"_There are other beautiful women here tonight." Natalia jerked her head to the right, towards an auburn haired woman in a lovely, jade colored gown, "why are you focused solely on me?"_

"_First, you just pointed out my sister, and second... what if I want to focus on you, Natalia?" Daren chuckled as an embarrassed blush spread across her cheeks and forehead._

"_I'm just curious, I guess." Natalia replied at last, "not many members of the male population have noticed me for anything other than money. My genetic defects that I call eyes are a bit too weird for them to consider me a traditional beauty. And traditional beauties are their common preference."_

"_Well, it's a good thing I prefer unique beauty, now isn't it?" Daren asked softly, staring deeply into her rich violet eyes, "and it's not like you have an extra toe or a tail. Any one of them would be lucky to have you on their arm."_

"_Thank you, I'm glad you think so. My father also has a taste for unique flavors. That's why he married my mother. Well that and he loves her very deeply."_

"_I can tell."_

_The couple watched the Johansen Patriarch and Matriarch whirl past, lost in a world consisting only of themselves. Mr. Johansen whispered something in his wife's ear, and she laughed and kissed him on the lips._

"_Love is an amazing thing, isn't it?" Natalia asked absently, following Daren's gently guiding hand as he spun her around before pulling her back into his arms. He pulled her back in a bit too roughly, and she bumped into his chest with a soft, "oomph."_

"_Oh, I'm sorry, Na... talia..."_

_Daren trailed off, looking down at her. Their eyes met, and both of them forgot their surroundings, or how close they were to one another. Her heart thundered in her chest, and she faintly wondered if he could hear it as it sang within her ribcage._

_Daren's hand came up to her face and gently stroked Natalia's cheek before moving another stray hair out of her face. Her cheeks flamed red, and he grinned at her, "Your blush is only a smidgen as lovely as your personality."_

"_Thank you. I wish I could say the same, but you don't turn fire engine red at every word like I do. Your personality is wonderful, though." Daren laughed and thanked her before pulling her into the next dance..._

Natalia turned the shower off and fought back tears at the beautiful memory. It was getting harder and harder for her not to want to go back in time. Things were effortless then, and, she imagined, if her parents' deaths and medical school hadn't gotten in the way, she would've been able to start dating Daren.

_I wish we could've dated. He was so sweet; Mama was right when she said he would've made a good husband. It's too late for that now. I'm tainted goods._ Natalia finished drying herself off and slipped into her pajamas with a mournful sigh. What did she do that was so horrible enough to change her life completely? What did she do to deserve this?

Natalia stared at the broken woman in the mirror for a moment, and then shook her head sadly before leaving the bathroom...

*meanwhile*

Daren groaned and sat up, taking in his surroundings blearily. He and Goten had crashed in the living room after the game had gone off, and the floor was littered with snack wrappers, cups, bowls, and popcorn kernels. He wasn't groaning because of just the late night, but the dreams of those purple eyes that had been plaguing his dreams.

_Natalia... kami, I wish I'd never hit my head as a kid,_ he sighed and furrowed his brow, trying to bring her face into his mind. All he could remember of her was that she had a bad case of blushing, and her violet eyes sparkled just so when she was happy or excited. She had golden blonde hair... He mentally cheered for himself for being able to recall her hair color.

"Good morning to you, too, Trunks. Oh? Sweet, thanks man. Come swing by the place with Uub, I've got a little self-made project I want to work on. Alright, see you then." Goten hung up his cell and smirked at Daren, "since the ladies are going wedding dress shopping for Pan, we have the day off. What do you say we swing by your place so you can grab your laptop, and then start doing some research on the Johansens?"

"Sounds like a plan." Daren nodded to the mess, "after we clean up this mess." Goten groaned and leapt to his feet, "I pick up, you carry the trash can?" The two friends laughed and set about their chores.

*a little later*

There was a knock at the door, and then it swung open, revealing Trunks and Uub. Trunks held up Goten's spare key with a flourish, "Hide your spare key better, man."

"Ha _ha_, Trunks," Goten snipped, snatching the key, "_very_ funny." Uub laughed and held up a few bags, "Pan and Marron were kind enough to fix breakfast before they left for New York." Goten whooped and took the bag, examining its contents with a hungry grin, "sweet."

"Alright," Trunks began, hefting four laptop bags off of his shoulder, "what did you want us to bring our laptops for, 'Ten?"

"The question is why did you bring four?" Goten asked with a chuckle, "I wanted to search for the missing Johansen heiress... for Daren's sake. He likes her-"

"I do _not_ like her. She's a little less than ten years younger than me!" Daren wailed, indignant at being ousted by Goten.

"Yeah," Goten said, smirking, "he _likes_ her." Trunks and Uub shared an amused glance as Daren grumbled in angry Italian under his breath.

**(A/N: Daren's mother is Italian. Alright, things will get confusing as they begin to do research, but, hopefully, I'll be able to clear it all up at the end of the chapter.)**

"Alright, so where do we start?" Uub asked, plugging in his laptop charger. "Her father's name was Howard Johansen, and her mother was Natasha Palladian-Johansen. Her mothers' parents-"

"Own the biggest international winery and vineyard company." Daren said, cutting Trunks off, "I thought that her aunt would've inherited that as well, what with both her parents being dead, but the management over there hasn't changed. As a matter of fact, Natalia's mother wasn't even a co-owner."

Trunks hooked up his laptops and settled down, "this is interesting, 'Ten. Thanks for giving us something to do. Alright," he opened a search engine, "start looking up the Palladian family. Maybe there's a reason behind that. Perhaps Natalia's Grampa put the vineyards and wineries in her name with no logistics about her age."

"Alright, Owen and Nora Palladian, parents of three- wait, _three_? I thought it was just Natasha and Mavis." Daren frowned and continued his examination, "Nicholas Palladian is the youngest of the three. He ran away from home at the age of sixteen, and hasn't been heard from since."

"What does he look like?" Goten asked, looking away from his own laptop. Daren smiled, "he's tall, he has curly black hair, the purple eyes, and he's got a tan. He's the male version of Natasha with more of a tan and black hair."

"Why doesn't Mavis look like either of them? She doesn't look like her parents either, except for the black hair from her mom. She's just got blue eyes, and her dad has green eyes." Trunks asked no one in particular.

"Trunks, is it possible for you to hack into the legal databases and get a hold of the will for Natalia's parents and her grandparents?" Daren inquired, looking over at the CC President. "I can try." He offered, "no promises, though. Do you happen to know what lawyer they used?"

"Aaron Noble. Really prominent amongst the higher standing families of Satan and West City." Uub supplied, gleaning over the info he'd pulled up, "nice color scheme for his website, too. Brown and blue."

"Ha, Uub, I think you're turning into a woman." Trunks said, switching one of his laptops to the website. He plugged a jammer into the USB drive and began to hack. The others were silent, watching his fingers fly over the keyboard. The screen went from a friendly blue and brown, to black with green numbers and letters all over the place.

"Sweet, alright, here's the will for her grandparents. No, the wineries and vineyards aren't in Natalia's name, but they are in her Uncle's name with no exceptions or age limitations whatsoever. Everything else, including a vast collection of vintage cars and a ranch went to Natasha, but would be given to Mavis once she died. This thing has been tampered with, and it's not very subtle either. Mavis was cut out of the will, but she had someone screw around with it to put her in it again." Trunks said softly, flipping to a second page that he'd almost missed.

"_If you are reading this now, then I've passed on, along with my husband. Mavis is not to be included in this will because she is a product of violence, and, as she isn't my husband's child, shouldn't be allowed part of his assets. I never wanted to have Mavis, but things don't always go the way they've been planned. Sincerely, Nora Tingley-Palladian. _This note on the will was deleted prior to it being available for the lawyer to view."

**(A/N: Natalia's grandmother was a bit of a bitch, hm? Well, a lot of women who have children that are a product of rape sometimes resent them and treat them as unequal to the other children that they actually want.)**

Daren frowned, "My mother told me about this. Mrs. Palladian was sexually assaulted at a charity event, and, exactly nine months later, she had Mavis. It never reached the public ears, but my mother knew about it because her mother was friends with Nora Palladian. Alright, now pull up the will for the Johansens."

Trunks nodded and started hacking again. Once he pulled it up, he gave a whistle, "would you look at the figures on that trust fund. Everything in here was to go to Natalia once she was twenty five, except for the trust fund, which she should've received at twenty one. Everything else, however, has been tampered with so Mavis could have it all if Natalia was underage and, if she couldn't get to her trust fund because she was twenty at the time of her parents' deaths, that would leave her-"

"Penniless. Homeless." Daren finished, "she's probably been living out on the streets all this time." Trunks frowned, "doesn't all of this seem... _planned_ to you guys? Mavis changing the logistics so she'd be able to get her hands on her sisters' money and assets if they died before Natalia turned twenty, and then the accident..."

"What do you remember about Natalia, Daren?" Goten said suddenly. He was standing up near him, holding his laptop.

"She had blonde hair." Daren told Goten softly, "and those violet eyes." He sighed in memory, just barely managing to recall the curve of her lips when she smiled, and the small dimple in her chin that formed because of it...

"She has a dimple in her chin when she smiles. Damn subjective memory loss!" Daren kicked the sofa in frustration, and Goten hurriedly slid his laptop over to him, "is this her?" Daren's eyes fell on the screen, and a shocked gasp escaped him.

It was the night of the gala, and she stood proudly between her parents, smiling her dimpled smile. Her body was sheathed in that glorious ivory gown; sewn together by angels themselves just for her beautiful form. A loose strand of silky blond hair dangled between her brows, and his hand itched to reach through the screen and brush it back into her bun. Her rich violet eyes glowed and shimmered with her joy, and her beauty took his breath away.

"It's her. It's _definitely _her."

Goten winced and bit his bottom lip, chewing lightly on the skin. Trunks watched his motions with a raised brow and frowned, "'Ten, what's wrong? Do you know her?" The son of Goku sighed softly, "Daren, there's something you need to know..."

"_What_," Daren snarled, "have you slept with her or something?" He shot to his feet, carelessly knocking his laptop to the floor. Sure, he'd just sealed their suspicions that he had romantic feelings for Natalia, but he no longer cared. The poisonous, vitriol flavor of jealousy was thick and bitter on his tongue.

"Well, no, but she did offer. I turned her down and bought her lunch at _Burger Shack_ the other afternoon." Goten said, and then covered his mouth with a curse. _Where's my filter when I need one?_

Daren's jaw fell, and he stared at Goten strangely, "You," he swallowed and tried again, "you bought a hooker lunch the other day, so how- oh... _oh_... please, Goten, tell me you're lying... she can't have... there's no way in hell... I called her a whore... Kami, I'm an _idiot_."

The distraught ranch heir plopped on the sofa, ridden with intense guilt and remorse. He took a shaky breath and hid his face in his hands, cursing in rapid, fluent Italian. The other males watched him fall apart at the seams, waiting patiently for him to calm down and come to his senses.

"How the fuck did this happen?" He asked in broken Japanese. "Her aunt is a nutcase, and we'll help her fix it if we find her again." Uub told him softly, "right guys?"

"Of course. She was really nice and sweet, and she deserves much better than... prostitution." Goten said, smiling awkwardly, "How do we find her again?"

"I don't know..."

*With Mrs. Foster* **(Daren's Mom)**

"Hello, there." Lyvianna "Livy" Foster stopped in front of the front desk of the rehab facility, looking younger than her fifty four years with her long auburn locks and big brown doe eyes. The man working the front desk smiled charmingly at her, "How may I help you, ma'am?"

"I'm here to see Nicky." She said softly, removing her large shades and turning the full force of her chocolate eyes on him, "what's he up to?"

"I believe he's at lunch, ma'am, go right in. the cafeteria's just down the hall. Make two rights and go through the double doors on your left side." The man said pleasantly, smiling at her. Livy slid him a few zeni and headed along her way, humming to herself. As soon as she cleared the hallway doors, her phone began to vibrate and she pulled it out of her pocket.

"_Hello,_ husband. Yes, I made it to the hospital just fine."

"What's with the tone?" David asked softly as he tended to his favorite horse, "not happy to hear from me?" Livy giggled and rolled her eyes, "no, darling, now look, I'm going to see Nicky while he's at lunch."

"Let me know how he is, will you? I've been worried about the poor guy." David told her, "I love you."

"I love you, too, hun. I'll see you at home." Livy hung up and pushed the door open to the cafeteria. Upon inspection, she found her intended visitor out on the patio, eating a slice of pizza. With a grin, she headed out to go see him.

"Hey, Nick."

The curly head of black hair popped up, revealing a dazzling pair of violet irises. Nick smiled at her and gestured for her to sit down, "Hi, Livy." Livy smiled and sat down next to him, "so, how's treatment going, sweet heart?"

"It's going well. I'm two and a half years sober, and my urges are fading away." Nick said, smiling happily, "the sooner I get out of here, the sooner I can try to find her."

Nick dug in the pocket of his cotton sweats and pulled out a worn picture of a little girl. She was about seven, with thick, curly black locks, olive toned skin, and bright green eyes. Even though the photo was bent and faded, the little girl's eyes glowed with happiness.

"She's beautiful, Nick, who is she?"

"My daughter." Nick said with pride, caressing the photo. "She's beautiful, Nick." Livy said softly, taking the photo from him so she could see it better.

"Isn't she? The sooner I find her, the sooner you can meet her."

*across town*

"What do you _mean_ I can't inherit the family company?!" Mavis shrieked, leaning across the desk to get in the lawyer's face, "that's a _twelve figure fortune_ sitting there, gathering dust! Why can't I have it?!"

"You father's will says that his vineyards and wineries are solely promised to Nicholas Palladian, and, under no exception, no one else." Aaron Noble, the family lawyer, told her coolly, primly adjusting his glasses, "and _no_ amount of string-pulling or clauses will let you lay hands on it. You know, kind of like your niece's trust fund?"

Mavis hit the desk in frustration, "Shut the fuck up! Nicholas is strung out on drugs or dead for all I know! I haven't seen him in years!" she growled and pulled on her hair angrily, "I _want_ that _money_!"

"Are you aware that in a few months your niece will be eligible to take back what's rightfully hers?" Aaron asked, voice hard, "that even includes the ginormous trust fund that you can't touch because it's under her name only." A smirk spread across his lips. He absolutely hated working with this horrid woman, and couldn't wait to see her go, money be damned.

"I don't even know where that spoilt brat is; probably whoring herself out for money. She doesn't know, so she can't do a thing. I'll find a way into that gold mine soon enough." Mavis chuckled darkly, "it's so nice to live the good life that my sister and niece so kindly left behind for me."

"Your younger brother has been in rehab for the past three years, Mavis, that's why you don't know where he is." A new, soft, female voice said coldly. Mavis turned around, "Mrs. Foster."

"Your mother and father would be _so_ ashamed." Livy whispered, "your baby brother came to me, asking me to help him. He's two and a half years sober and soon to leave rehab, so you can kiss that twelve-figure fortune goodbye."

Mavis was rendered speechless as her sister's best friend left the office, only to turn back, "Oh, and you have another niece. Nick's using the money to find his daughter, Rhea."

* * *

**Alright, what you should've gotten: Rhea's father is Natalia's mother's brother, making them cousins, Mavis can't touch Natalia's trust fund, Rhea's father wants to find her, Daren knows that Natalia is a prostitute, and Goten hasn't met Rhea yet, but it will happen soon, what with so many people looking for both Natalia and her. Daren's mother is friends with Bulma, so it's bound to get back to her.**

**Daren and Natalia are in love with each other, but, of course, haven't had the opportunity to confess their feelings.**

**Since Livy and Natasha were close friends, it makes sense that she would have a sisterly relationship with her younger brother. Now that links have been made, it's time to start reuniting people and stuff. I hope this isn't too confusing... –SukiChan12^-^**


	5. Caso e Destino

**Interesting turn of events last chapter, hm? Since I can't seem to get away from TxP, I'm going to start this chapter off with a small bit of fluff between Mr. Briefs and his soon-to-be Misses Briefs. Then, we'll crack down on some things. This chapter starts off three weeks after the last one, and, well, yeah. Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

**No POV**

"Good morning, Mr. Briefs, how's your morning so far?" Bulma teased as she entered her eldest child's office. The leather chair; which had been facing the large bay windows that made up the back wall of the office, turned to reveal Trunks' handsome, smiling face.

"It's been peaceful, considering I've only been here for an hour, but things could change." The President told her, smiling cheerfully, "how've you been?"

"Busy helping your sister with the plans for her wedding. I wonder why Pan and Marron won't help her..." Bulma trailed off. Trunks' face darkened at the mention of Bra, and he muttered, "They have their reasons..."

Bulma wasn't aware that Bra, her precious little girl, had cheated on Goten, and; in the process, broken any trust and friendships she had with Pan, Marron, and the other people in their little group of second; and third, generation Z-Senshi. No one had the heart to tell her, and Bra was too ashamed to recant her horrible wrong against Goten. Her inability to admit what she'd done was yet another reason why Pan refused to mend their relationship, because she considered it cowardly, shameful, and weak.

"So you know why?" Bulma asked sharply. Trunks nodded morosely, "but it's not my story to tell. Why don't you ask Bra the next time you see her. If she doesn't tell you, I'm sure my fiancé would be _glad_ to spill. It's not the easiest thing you'll hear, mom."

Bulma sighed softly, "I'll ask her this afternoon," and then hefted the large stack of flyers onto his desk, "have your mail room posse tack these up on the streets during lunch. I already secured the license for it, so no worries about getting stopped by the police. I need them up _today_."

"I got it, mom. I'll get Pan to take them down there-"

"Good morning, Trunks, Aunt B." Pan greeted the mother and son duo pleasantly, smiling softly. The short woman was dressed in a flowy lavender blouse, and a pair of white slacks with lavender pumps. Her long dark curls were pinned elaborately away from her face with a lavender flower pin, leaving it on display for the rest of the world.

"Good morning, beautiful. Sleep in well?" Trunks asked lovingly as he waved her over. Pan giggled and glided over to him, and then squealed in surprise as he pulled her down onto his knee, "Trunks, you silly man, I need to get ready for work, and yes, I did sleep in wonderfully. The only bad part was that you weren't in the bed with me when I woke up."

"How can I make this up to you, Panny?" Trunks asked, cupping her face. "A good morning kiss would be a wonderful start." Pan said softly, leaning in. Bulma rolled her eyes at the couple and left the room, "make sure those flyers get to the mail room, Trunks."

"Oh, I will, mom." Trunks replied absently, solely focused on the beautiful woman in his lap. Once the door had closed, he fingered her blouse, "you always look so gorgeous in my hair color." She smiled and touched the collar of his suit shirt. He was wearing a black suit with a midnight blue shirt and black tie today.

"You look damn good in mine." The little Son woman told him honestly, nuzzling his face. He turned his head so he could capture her lips and gave her a sweet, soft kiss, "Good morning, love."

"Mmmm, good morning... and you're taking those down to the mailroom. I might look absolutely drop dead sexy right now, but my brain is still halfway asleep." Pan said, smiling amusedly at the droop in her fiancé's mood, "don't be so down. As your future wife, I have to condition you into waiting on my hand and foot, caring for, and protecting me and; eventually, our family. This is a part of your husband training."

"Don't you get wifely training, too?" Trunks asked dejectedly, and Pan smoothed her thumb across his brow to get rid of the soft furrow.

"Of course I do. I get to condition myself into being protected, cared for, and treated like a goddess. Of course, as the wife, I also have to cook for and clean up after, and take care of our family... whenever we start one. I also get to cater to your whims, sometimes, too." Pan said softly in a teasing tone, "we'll give to each other and receive from each other evenly... like a well-oiled machine."

"I can't wait to be your husband." Trunks told her, pressing a gentle kiss to the ring on her left ring finger, and Pan kissed the underside of his jaw, "and I can't wait to be your wife. Now, run along and take the flyers to the mailroom. I'm not so brain dead that I've forgotten how to get your coffee and fix it _just_ like you like it."

"Alright then." Trunks stood up with Pan cradled in his arms and then gently carried her out into the outer office, where her desk was. He set her on the edge of the desk and kissed her forehead, "I'll see you when I get back, love." His fiancée blushed a soft pink as he went back into his office, came back out with the flyers, and flew down the hall.

_I'd better go fix his coffee, that darling man_; Pan hopped off of the desk and headed for the break room with his favorite mug in her hands.

*Natalia's home*

"Mama, Mama!"

Natalia woke up to happy squeals and the smell of breakfast from Jack and the Box. She sat up, inhaling the delicious scent with a groan and rolled out of bed. She ran a hand through her hair and headed into the kitchen.

Rhea, who'd been setting the food down on the table, smiled at her, "good morning, Talia. I had a bit of extra money from washing cars and stuff and thought I'd treat you to breakfast." Two little angels bumbled around her legs, giggling and squealing as they played amongst themselves. A soft smile caressed Natalia's face.

"Thanks, Rey."

"Stop standing there like a bump on a log and come eat, then, if you're so thankful." Rhea teased, scooping Belle up to place her in a chair. Baili followed close behind, hanging on to the back of her mother's shirt.

Natalia rolled her eyes and took a seat at the table. Her violet eyes flicked to the small television on the table, and she noted that it was on the news channel. She reached out for the volume knob as Rhea settled Baili in a chair and laid her food out in front of her.

"Something good on the news?" The young mother asked softly, coming around the table to look at the television as well. Natalia was fully engrossed in the report.

"_The youngest child in the Palladian family has recently left rehab, about a week ago._" The news reporter said, staring intently into the camera, "_we have word that he's met with the family lawyer to collect the items left to him in his father's will, placing him in charge of a very large, international string of wineries and vineyards. He made the transition just this morning, not even an hour ago even. Nicholas Caius Palladian was the problem child out of the three Palladian sisters in his younger days, but now, it seems he's turned over a new leaf._"

A picture of Nicholas was shown on screen, and both women gasped for mostly different reasons.

"_Uncle Nicky_?!"

"_Dad_?!"

The two women looked at each other in surprise, and Natalia whispered, "He's your father?" Rhea nodded and went over to a small, raggedy blue back pack and fished a small photo out of it. She walked back over to the table and placed it in Natalia's hand, "this is him and my mother when I was born... and before my mother became totally drug dependent."

Nicholas sat next to a sweaty, red haired teenage girl on a dingy mattress that was stained with birth residue, bloody, and other fluids. The girl's green eyes glowed with love and happiness as she gazed down at the bundle in her arms. Nick had his arm around her waist, leaning his head against her shoulder to see the bundle better. The two of them looked oddly happy, despite their surroundings.

"_Rumor has it that Nicholas is putting out a search for a daughter that was born to him during his wilder days. The mother of his child is currently in rehab, but on the mend, according to Mr. Palladian._"

"Holy crap..."

There, on the screen, was a restored picture of Rhea as a child. Her bright green eyes glowed with innocent joy as her father hugged her to his chest, and glossy ebony ringlets floated around her angelic face, highlighting the pink in her cheeks, and the crimson of her pouty lips.

"Wow, you were a gorgeous little girl." Natalia commented, looking up at her friend. Rhea bit back tears of joy, "I knew it... I knew he wouldn't break his promise." She grabbed Natalia's hand and dragged her into the living room to explain.

"When we were separated, he made me a promise that when he got himself cleaned up he'd come back for me. When I got raped, I'd given up all hope in him, but now... I feel horrible for judging his actions so harshly, even though I wasn't in the best place emotionally. He's going to look for me, Talia, isn't that exciting?"

"Yeah, it is. Uncle Nicky's been gone since I was four months old, maybe less than that. I'm glad to see he's alright, and your mother, too."

Rhea's face darkened at the mention of her mother, "I love my mother, don't get me wrong, but the things she did to me to get more drugs... she wasn't in the right frame of mind, so I can't really blame her-"

"You can blame her." Natalia cut in harshly, "she chose to get addicted to that crap. So it is her fault that she did those things to you."

"I know." Rhea said softly, "she made me pickpocket money, wallets, jewelry, credit cards, and other valuables from unsuspecting rich folk to sell and use the earnings to replete her drug supply. I had a very sweet, innocent face, as you just saw, and no one ever suspected me of a thing. Daddy sent me away so I wouldn't have to do it anymore. When I didn't get as much stuff as she liked, she'd hit me."

"That's horrible, and you still have that innocent light to your face; it's just been buried under heart ache and pain. Sweetie, you deserve so much better than what this life has given you." Natalia kissed her on her forehead, "what are the odds that two long-lost cousins would find each other on the streets, hm?"

"Clearly, those odds were in our favor." Rhea joked, and the two cousins shared a warm hug before returning to the breakfast table.

*mailroom*

Goten's head snapped up as the mailroom door flew open, revealing a worn, sallow-cheeks Daren. He winced at the black circles around his eyes, and then gagged at the stench resonating from him. When was the last time he bathed properly?"

"Dar, you don't look- or _smell_- too hot." Uub called from behind a stack of invoices, newsletters, and other mail items, "what the hell have you been _doing_ to yourself?"

"I've been looking for Natalia, that's what." Daren snapped, and his co-workers rolled their eyes. Goten sighed sharply, "we've spent our lunch breaks and a good portion of nights searching for her, Daren, clearly she either knows we're looking for her and doesn't want to be found, or her occupation has her moved to another area. Give it up."

Daren glowered almost rabidly at Goten, "I wouldn't ask you to give it up if it were _Bra_ out there, now would I?" Goten's rare temper awakened, and he nearly snarled, "That's a low blow, Daren. You're not the only one whose love life is royally-"

"Finish that sentence and I dock your pay." Trunks said sharply as he entered the room, "no profanity in the workplace, gents." He walked over to Goten and dropped the large stack of flyers in his arms, "since you guys are still searching for Natalia, do my mother a favor and tack these up in the streets over your lunch break."

Goten frowned at the flyers, "what are they?"

"They are missing flyers. An old friend of mom's is looking for his long-lost daughter." Goten's eyes lit up and he set the flyers on the counter before taking one for himself to examine.

"She's... holy crap, she's _gorgeous_. Rhea Saiyren Palladian. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman." The son of Goku commented, taking in the photo with hungry eyes. Something in him demanded that he find this beautiful creature and make her acquaintance.

"Palladian... did you say _Palladian_?" Daren asked, taking a flyer from the stack, "her last name is Palladian. Who's her dad?"

"Nicholas Palladian, the prodigal son of the Palladian family, and Natalia's mother's baby brother; her uncle. Trunks said softly, "Rhea was born twenty two years ago while he was on the streets, and they were separated. Now that he's cleaned himself up quite a bit, he wants to find his daughter again. Mom used age advancement on a photo of her as a child, and _this_," he gestured to the flyers, "is what she should look like now."

"Wow..." Goten trailed off, "so we tack these up during lunch break, and that's it?"

Trunks nodded once, "then you're free to grab a bite to eat and come back in to work for a few more hours. If you'll excuse me," the President of CC backed up to the mailroom doors, "I have a coffee date with my fiancée." With that, the Prince of all Saiyans turned on his heel and hightailed it to the elevator.

"Somehow I don't think that coffee is in anyway involved with their coffee date."

"No duh, Goten."

*noon*

Rhea sat on a bench surrounding the playground, watching her little munchkins play on the jungle gym. Their peals of laughter were music to her ears as they slid down poles, flew down the slide, and rode on the swing set. As Baili and Belle were making a round on the tilt-o-whirl, their mother caught sight of something, or rather, some_one_ curious.

The man's pace was quick with determination as he made his way across the grass towards Rhea. His pale blue eyes were focused on her, and she frowned, trying to recall where she'd seen such piercing blue eyes. They were so familiar. _Too_ familiar. His eyes were familiar in a way that made her skin crawl, her body shiver, and her muscles lock up in what could only be fear.

The memory hit her like a freight train, and she hopped up from her perch with a gasp of surprise. His eyes were the same as the beautiful blue ones set into Baili's beautiful face. When she was first born, Rhea couldn't look her in the eyes without seeing her rapist. Her rapist was here, in the park, and he wanted something with her.

She sprinted over to the tilt-o-whirl and jerked it to a halt before snatching both of her babies off of the toy and running in the direction of her home. She could hear the crunch of shoes on the grass as her rapist gave chase, yelling for her to stop.

_Like hell will I stop for you_¸ Rhea thought to herself, turning all her fear and slight anger into energy and speed to keep her legs moving and keep some distance between herself and him. Even now, she could hear his feet pounding the pavement behind her. The frightened young woman rounded a corner and slammed right into a firm chest. the girls were jostled in her arms, and she hid behind the well-muscled stranger as the man that took her innocence closed the distance.

"Um, are you alright?" The muscled man asked softly, trying to turn so he could see her. She shook her head, "no, please, keep that man away from me," and begged for sanctuary. He nodded once and turned to face the man as he skidded to a halt before them.

"Hey, I was looking for her." Rhea whimpered near-silently as his voice ripped through her walls that she'd constructed around the memory of _that night_ like a tsunami.

"Man, look at her. She's scared of you." The nice muscled man snapped, "leave her alone. If she wants to talk to you then she'll come find you."

_Not on your life, ass hole_, Rhea thought indignantly as her rapist turned and went back the way he came, leaving her and her savior alone.

"I'm Goten, and you are?" The man turned around, giving her an uninterrupted view of his handsome face, wide, innocent midnight eyes, and dashing grin. She could see the barest hint of his pectoral muscles through the open top button of his work shirt.

"I- I'm Rhea." She stuttered in reply, blushing furiously. The girls were squirming to be let down, and she immediately set them on the sidewalk, "I'm sorry, girls, but that bad man was after us."

"Is okay, Mummy. We safe now." Baili told her sweetly, and then hugged her legs. Belle joined in the hug, not wanting to be left out. Rhea smiled sheepishly at Goten, "These are my twins, Baili and Belle."

"They're absolutely gorgeous, just like their mother." Goten knelt down, smiling softly at the two toddlers. They looked up at him, hiding slightly behind their mother's legs. Baili, the bravest twin, edged out of her hiding spot and pressed a little hand against Goten's cheek.

"You saved us and Mummy from the bad man." She told him, smiling, "tank you." Belle peeked from behind her mother's legs, "tank you," she said in her soft little voice. A furious blush overtook her cheeks, and she ducked back into her hiding place, having enough of the spotlight.

"Rhea, are you alright?" a familiar voice; for both Rhea and Goten, called out, and both of them stood up to greet Natalia as she made her way over to them, panting heavily from the run.

"I saw you running from that guy after I got finished with Louie, and I had to follow you. Why was one of my old customers following you?" Natalia asked softly. "He was the one who... you know..." Rhea trailed off meaningfully, hoping her cousin would get the message. Natalia caught on immediately and nodded, "_Oh_... Well, thank you for protecting my cousin, sir- _Goten!?_"

Goten smiled sheepishly, "long time no see, Natalia." Rhea glanced between the two of them, "you two... you _know_ each other?" Natalia was looking around nervously; praying to kami above that Daren wasn't nearby. Unfortunately for her, luck wasn't on her side today...

"Hey Goten, I put up the last couple of- _Natalia_?" Daren, who'd been casually throwing an arm around Goten's shoulder, froze in place as his eyes fell on the woman he loved more than anything on this green earth.

Natalia bit back a curse and reached down to make sure her trench coat was closed. It was, and was tied tightly at her slim waist. She stepped back; unwillingly of course. Now that she'd been able to bask in Daren's presence, she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep herself away from him.

"Natalia, wait-" she turned on her heel and bolted, leaving her confused cousin and little second cousins in the presence of her other half and his pal, Goten.

Daren ran after his elusive love interest, in awe of her ability to dart in and out of the groups of people walking up and down the sidewalks. _She's had years of practice, I'd bet_, he thought, trying his best to keep his eyes trained on the flash of blonde silk just ahead of him. Just when he thought he would catch up to her, she slipped into a large group of teenagers, and, once he got through the gaggle, had vanished into thin air.

Natalia leaned against the cool alley wall, panting up a storm. She peeked cautiously around the corner, watching Daren pant with exertion, looking around wildly for her. _It's for the best, you handsome fool. Our worlds don't mesh anymore_, she melted into the shadows and began making her way back home, hoping that Rhea knew to come back without leading them straight to her.

*with Goten and Rhea*

"Wow, talk about a show." Goten snickered, watching the crowd for any sign of Natalia or/and Daren. "Tell me about it." Rhea remarked humorously, giggling softly. _So that's Daren... hmmm, he's cute. She could've stuck around and talked to him without giving away her occupation... but then again, she is prone to overreacting_.

"I'd better head on home and get these two buggers fed." The mother said at last, though her eyes lingered on Goten's face as she grabbed Baili and Belle's little hands. "Why not take them out with me. My treat." Goten offered. He didn't want to leave the presence of this divine creature, not while he could help it.

"I... ahh..."

"Go out with the nice man, Mummy." Baili said, poking her in the thigh, "he safed us today." She had to laugh at her three year old's serious little cherubic face, and then she knelt down and cupped her face, "we need to get home and see if aunt Talia turned up."

"Mummy, you hurt his feewings." Belle said boldly, then blushed a deep crimson at her little outburst and retreated behind her sister. "You have a point," Rhea admitted, and then turned to Goten, "we'll go to lunch with you."

"Alright then, I'll lead the way." Goten smiled and gestured for her to follow him. Rhea smiled and grabbed the girls' hands before following the handsome Son to the nearest burger shack. The girls skipped alongside their mother, humming songs about fairies and hearts, giggling jubilantly at the thought of eating with the nice man.

*meanwhile*

_I can't believe I- huh?_ Daren frowned at the flash of golden silk he'd seen disappearing into the dense shadows of a narrow alley just a few feet away from him. Throwing caution to the wind, he crept into the alley silently, following his beautiful goddess as she made her way back home. The palms of his hands literally itched at the thought of touching her again, and his lips burned to press against the soft plumpness of hers. Ignoring his urges, he began to track her, excited at the thought of finding out where she'd been living for the past years.

He followed her graceful, smooth movements, careful not to tip her off that he was close behind. Finally, after what seemed like ages, she walked up the sidewalk to an apartment complex that had seen better days. She walked up to a door marked 24B and pulled out her key, glancing around.

Daren ducked behind a sparse bush before her sharp violet eyes could fish him out, and breathed a sigh of relief as she calmly entered her apartment and shut the door behind her. Good, now he knew where she stayed; now he had to figure out where her spot was.

**(A/N: Spot: where she goes at night to give favors.)**

* * *

**Alright, originally I was going to post chapter five and six together as a 7k+ monster of a chapter, but I decided to be lenient and split them as evenly as possible. So the next chapter takes place the same day as this one, kind of like a part two. Enjoy the read! –SukiChan12^-^**


	6. Nel buio della notte

**Chapter six. Enjoy the read!**

* * *

Rhea watched the girls go rampant on the play place, smiling at their endearing squeals of joy and delight. Goten was waiting for their food back at the table, leaving her to watch over her adorable babies.

The little moment was shattered when Baili began to wheeze slightly, and Rhea rushed over to pull her from the playground, fishing her inhaler out of her pockets. Belle scampered away from the play pen and returned to her mother's protective presence, her shyness returning without her twin on the jungle gym with her.

"Come on, baby, hang on." Rhea pulled the cap from the inhaler and pressed it to Baili's lips, "come on, breathe." Baili opened her mouth, and Rhea squeezed a puff into her mouth, heaving a relieved sigh when the wheezing in her throat eased. When she went to lead the girls back to the table, the man who'd chased her cousin to kami knows where was talking to Goten about something.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Goten and Daren looked up as the young woman returned to the table, holding the hands of her daughters. Both girls looked up at them curiously, and then sat on the seat, scooting down so their mother could sit.

"Not at all." Daren said at last, smiling at the little girls, "your daughters are beautiful." The smaller toddler blushed heavily and hid behind her thick curls, but the other one was more than happy to show her gratitude for such a compliment and smiled widely.

"Thank you." Rhea said honestly, sitting down next to the girls. Belle immediately hid her reddened face in her mother's arm, and her sister giggled at her.

"So..." Daren said softly, "you're Nicholas's daughter." Rhea nodded once, "yes, and you must be Daren, judging by Talia's reaction to you." His eyebrows rose, "she told you about me?"

"Why is that so surprising? Is there a reason she shouldn't be talking about you?" Rhea asked softly, reaching over to wipe Baili's mouth.

"He can barely remember her, that's all." Goten said softly, "he's got a childhood injury that messes with his long term memory." Daren frowned at Goten for blabbing his business, "I _can_ remember her; it's just hard to bring the memories up. If I work at it, I can dredge them up."

"This is nice and all." Rhea began regrettably, " but we need to go back... home. We've been out all morning, and I'd like for the girls to get some rest." The words felt like cheap lies as they dripped from her lips, and she felt a sharp jolt of pain in her chest when the light in Goten's eyes dimmed. For some reason, she didn't want to leave this man she'd just met today; it just didn't sit right with her.

"Oh..." Goten replied softly, looking down at his untouched burgers, "See you around?" Rhea smiled and began wiping her daughters' faces and hands, "I'd hope so, and please don't tell my father that you found me. I need to be there for my cousin right now."

Both Goten and Daren nodded in agreement as Rhea wrapped up the leftover food they had and put it in her bag, and then lifted the girls out of the booster, one by one. Belle took up her hiding position, tucked just behind her mother's legs, and Baili grasped one of the belt loops on her worn jeans to keep up with her.

"I'll see you around?"

Rhea jumped as Goten stood up and walked fluidly up to her, a paper bag in his hands. She noticed that his burgers were no longer on the table and frowned, "Goten, I can't take your food-"

"I want you guys to have it. You need it much more than me." The Son insisted, pressing the bag into her hands, "those little girls need _something_ to eat, and you know it." Both of them glanced down at the twins, and then their gazes met again.

"Why are you doing this?" Rhea whispered at last, dropping her volume so the girls wouldn't hear her, "what reason do you have to be nice to some homeless single mother and her children?"

Her trust issues were raging a war against the fondness she had for Goten, and she didn't know which side would win. The hurt, scared seventeen year old girl in her was rearing its head, and she fought desperately to push it down. When she was with Goten, none of those wary feelings that came when she was around an unfamiliar man, but, despite herself, her inability to trust was trying to destroy the budding feelings she had for the sweet man.

"Because I want to help you." Goten hissed back, "you and those little girls deserve the world, if not more, and I want to try my best to give it to you."

He bit his lip to stop the flood of confessions trying to leap out of his mouth, wondering idly where it all was coming from. This innate desire to protect hit him hard as he looked at the small brunette haired woman and her two toddlers. Her bright, gem-like green eyes spoke of a hurt and fear that he couldn't begin to understand, but he wanted to do his best to erase it with peace.

"Why are you even bothering?" Rhea hissed, "And _why_ did you even buy Natalia lunch that day? Trying to get a shot at some free-"

"Because I have _feelings_ unlike the hardasses that you see walking these streets every day. My mother raised me to respect those less fortunate than me, and to help them when it was possible for me to. I saw an opportunity to do something nice, and I took it. Is that so _wrong_?" Goten said harshly, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Oh sure, that's what they all say, and then the next thing you know, you're- never mind..." Rhea trailed off, biting her lip. Goten frowned at the flash of pain and hurt that entered those dazzling green eyes of hers, _What was she going to say?_

"I have to go. Girls, come-" The mother was forced to a halt as Goten shoved the bag of burgers and fries into her hands, "take it. I'm not going to let you leave until you take it."

"I don't want- _why_ are you being so insistent?"

"Because I'd sleep better at night, knowing those little girls had something to eat." Goten said softly, smiling down at the two little angels crowded around their mother's feet, staring up at the adults curiously.

"How well you sleep and night isn't any of my concern." Rhea said lowly, "now move before I cry _rape_." Her voice quivered as the word slipped from her lips like it was bitter bile.

Even four years later, and she still couldn't say the word without a tremor running down her spine. Despite herself, her eyes began to wander the small restaurant, taking in her surroundings with care. Now that she had brought '_it_' up, her hackles were raised, and her instincts screamed that she get herself and the girls to a safe place as soon as possible.

Goten noticed the change in her demeanor and posture and raised a brow worriedly, "Rhea, are you al-" as he spoke, he reached out to touch her arm. Before his fingers could brush her skin, she pushed his hand away and stepped back, "don't _touch_ me."

_Kami, why did I have to bring that up... he probably thinks I'm a nut_; Rhea took a deep breath; though it didn't do much to curb her nerves and defensive instincts, and whispered, "I'll take the stupid food if it's so important to you. Leave me alone, and let me leave... _Please_." She fought to keep the hint of desperation out of her voice as she shoved the bag of food into her tote bag with a shaking, fumbling hand.

"Bye, nice man." Baili waved as her mother led her and her sister hurriedly to the door. Rhea glanced back at Goten one last time, mouthed '_thank you_', and swept out of the door and hurried away.

"You alright, Goten?" Daren asked softly, patting his friend's shoulder. Goten had gone completely still when Rhea had seemed to freak and close herself off, and Daren was completely confused.

Goten clenched his jaw and his fists until blood dripped from between his fingers. He knew the moment that Rhea had seemed to become frightened and desperate to leave that she'd been hurt before, and he had a pretty good idea of what she'd been through. What twenty two year old woman with a good, stable head on her shoulders had kids in her teens?

The demi fought to keep his ki and his anger down until he was able to release the pent up emotion properly. Someone had violated that angelic young woman, and he was determined to reap vengeance on her behalf. The protective instincts threw him, but he welcomed them, taking to them with ease. His saiyan half relished in the promise of split blood.

"I'm fine." Goten managed at last, unclenching his fists and frowned at the reddened crescent shaped marks in his palms that wept trickles of red before shaking his head. With his immune system, they'd be a light pink by the time he got home to eat dinner.

"Let's head back to work, Dar."

*Meanwhile*

"What do you want from me, you wench? Wasn't the last time enough for you?" The cold, emotionless voice hissed into the receiver of a cell phone. "I need a favor from you." A cool, feminine voice replied, "I need someone to... to _disappear_."

"That depends on the name." The cold voice hissed, "And how much you're willing to pay for the... _disappearance_. Do you want temporary or permanent?"

"I want her _gone_, as in _gone_ gone. You might have to track her down, first." The woman told him, trying to pique his interest. She wasn't disappointed.

"I do love a good hunt. What's the description?"

"Tall, built like a model. Long blonde hair; not bottled, but natural, and you can't miss her with those damned violet eyes." The woman told him, unbridled anger in voice, "I can't risk her taking my... _inheritance_ from me, so she has to go."

"That sounds familiar. Wasn't that the bitch you had me take out four years back? You know the one that was in that _unfortunate_ wreck on the way to her daughter's school?" The man asked with a chuckle, "and then you left poor little orphan Annie high and dry."

"This is her daughter. Carbon copy, last I saw of her." The woman muttered, envy in her voice over the girls' apparently superior beauty.

"Wasn't it enough that you stole her inheritance from her?"

"If I remember correctly, she'll be 25 soon, meaning she'll be able to get into that goldmine of an inheritance. If I can prove that she's dead, then I can have whatever was left for her alone, and that was _a lot_. You can trust that you'll be paid handsomely for your services."

The man hummed in agreement, and then chuckled, "you're a very dirty, underhanded woman, Ms. Palladian."

"Just make sure my _precious_ niece never sees the light of day again, and you'll get your earnings when I have the proof. I'll pay double if you make it violent."

"I can do that. We have a deal."

"Good." The line disconnected, and the man briefly heard the dial tone before hanging up his phone as well. His eyes drifted to a steel door, and a smirk lit his features, "I have _just_ the thing."

*that night*

Natalia leaned against the front window of the closed corner store, indulging one of her rare hobbies; smoking, while she waited for a possible customer to pass by. As she leaned against the wall, puffing out small wisps of smoke, her thoughts began to wonder to today's events. She forced the traitorous thoughts away by thinking about how good she looked in the new outfit she managed to buy with four weeks' worth of constant, daily favors.

The outfit consisted of a light blue bra with bits of white and midnight blue at the sides; covered by a black mesh top, a tiny black mini skirt, dark blue fishnet stockings; hooked to black garters, and a pair of pumps that were at least seven inches high. Her golden tresses were hanging to her waist, tussled and mussed to perfection, and her eyes were surrounded by blue shadow and black eyeliner.

As she took another drag on the cancer stick, she noticed a distinctly masculine figure making their way to her corner. With a smirk at the other prostitutes around her, she fixed her bra cups and rustled her skirt, knowing she, as always, would be the first to be picked up for the night. Her exotic coloring gave her an edge that the others couldn't beat, and a sick part of her reveled in that fact. The other whores shot her glares and began mumbling under their breath as it became clear that the man was headed her way. She pushed off of the window and sauntered over to him, ready with a saucy one-liner, but, to her surprise, he beat her to it.

"Can I buy an hour of your time?" the familiar, smooth and honeyed voice asked gently, and Natalia finally got a good look at his face as he stepped into the light of the street lamp. Striking blue eyes bore into her violet ones, rendering her speechless. She knew those eyes; they'd haunted her dreams consistently since she first saw them at that fateful Charity Gala that seemed like it happened ages ago.

"Da-Daren?"

Daren's jaw came unhinged at the sight of those innocent purple eyes staring up at him. They were just as stunning and angelic as they'd been on that wonderful night of the Gala. He was falling in love with them all over again. His lungs felt constricted and his heart stuttered, honored to be in the presence of such beauty.

"Natalia..."

Reality hit the both of them like a freight train, and Talia stumbled back, self-conscious of her revealing clothing and heavy make-up. She quickly hooked her shoes off of her feet and broke into a run, blindly trying to escape him.

"Wait!" Daren followed the fleeing woman, surprised at her speed. It took a great deal of energy and effort, but he managed to catch her and pull her into an alley. "Please." Natalia begged weakly, "please, just let me go." Daren's grip on her upper arms was gentle but restraining, keeping her pinned against the alley wall.

"Natalia." His voice caressed the syllables of her name in a way that made her shiver, "What are you doing out here? Why were you... you know... doing what you were doing?"

"I don't have a choice," she whimpered, unable to deny him an answer, "you wouldn't understand. Please, just let go."

"Then explain it to me, sweet girl." Daren cooed, caressing her cheek, "I've got time on my hands." Tears began to pour down her cheeks, streaking her make-up, and Daren pulled her into his chest, stroking her soft hair to calm her.

Natalia inhaled his spicy scent greedily, letting it calm and soothe her nerves and chase away all her worries and fears. Her hands entangled themselves in his shirt, _Kami; he smells just as good as he did all those years ago._ She pulled away from his chest, lamenting the tear stain, and took a deep shuddering breath.

"My aunt," she managed at last, "she stole everything from me. All because her mother liked my mother best. She pulled on a few clauses in the will, and I lost everything to her. I had to drop out of medical school, and turn to... to whoring myself out to get by."

A warmth took her over as her embarrassment at her horrid situation won out, and a deep blush overtook her face and chest. she leaned forward so her hair would curtain her face, hiding her shame from him. _I don't deserve for him to look at me. I'm such a disgusting slut._

The grip on the top of her arms tightened, and she heard him curse in Italian, and, while it sounds silky in his voice, the wording did _not_ sound flattering. Natalia looked up at him from under her hair, "Daren?"

"Come home with me." He grasped her hands desperately, "you can stay with me so I can help you get everything back from her." Talia shook her head, "I can't. Rhea and the twins need me. I'm helping her keep them supported."

"She can come with you, too, until she's ready to go back to her father. I've got this six bedroom penthouse suite, and I'm the only one who stays there." Daren begged, "mio amore, please? The thought of you..." he trailed off, trying to fight the anger and jealously he felt at the thought of other men touching her... being intimately intertwined with her...

_Damn it_, Daren cursed to himself, _Mama was right. I love her_.

"I'll ask her, but I can't say it's going to happen. Rhea doesn't trust men too much." Talia surrendered, and was pleasantly surprised to be hugged tightly. A warm, fluttery feeling filled her heart, and she hugged him back, _I love you, Daren_.

"Can I give you a ride home?" Daren asked softly. "Okay." Talia relented and followed him down the walk to where he'd hidden his car. When they reached it, he opened the passenger side door for her and closed it behind her, and then rushed around to the driver's side and got in. as he peeled out of the lot, she couldn't but notice how nice the car looked, and felt out of place in it.

"This is... nice" she whispered, stroking the Italian leather with one finger. Daren reached across the seat and gently grasped her hand, raising it to his lips to press a kiss against the top side, "Mmmm." She giggled despite the situation and pulled her hand away. She felt comfortable with him, despite the awkwardness of her occupation.

By the time Daren got to her apartment building, the two of them were laughing and joking like they'd known each other forever. As he pulled into a parking slot, the atmosphere quickly filled with tension, and both of them looked down at their hands awkwardly. Talia reached for the door knob, but Daren gently grabbed her arm and pulled her to face him.

"Daren, what-"

"Be safe." Daren said at last, looking incredibly uncomfortable as he stared into her eyes. Natalia's gaze drifted down to his soft looking, kissable lips, and she wanted desperately to kiss them. Instead, she leaned in and kissed his cheek, "Thanks, but I can take of myself. I've been doing it for a while now."

"Can't be too careful, now can we?" Daren shrugged and kissed her hand again, "Hurry inside. I'm sure Rhea's waiting on you." Natalia nodded and grasped the door handle, "I-" _love you_, "-you'd better head home now. If you stick around here any longer, you might get carjacked or worse, and I don't need the guilt."

Before she could pull the handle, Natalia felt the cool shape of a phone being pressed into her palm. She turned to look at him as she opened the door and got out, "What- why are you giving me this?"

"My number's programmed into it. Keep it." Daren smiled at her, "please, meo amore?"

"I guess I will, since you asked nicely." Talia shoved the phone into her bra, smiled at him one last time and ran over to her apartment door, holding her heels in her hand. Daren watched her run, admiring the way the muscles in her legs bunched and relaxed with each stride. He waited until she was safely inside her apartment before peeling out of the lot, a hopeful smile on his face.

In a parking lot across the street, a black SUV pulled slowly out of the shadows and headed down the street. In the driver's seat sat a tall, slender man with pale skin, black, oily hair, and beady black eyes. A jagged red scar ran down the side of his slender face. A smirk lit his features as he wrote down Natalia's apartment number and picked up his phone.

"Ms. Palladian? I believe that my hunt has come to an end. I found the girl."

* * *

**Well, that was a rather quick search. I do believe I've laid on the drama quite a bit, and now, I have to figure out what chapter seven will entail. I wanted to focus on Goten and Rhea next chapter, so we'll see how that goes. Much Love, SukiChan12^-^**


	7. Riunione di vecchi amici

**This chapter starts a few days; possibly a week, after the last, with flashbacks explaining the events that took place during that time frame. In the meantime, a lot of exciting things have taken place. Shall we get on with it? Originally, I was going to have Mavis's hired help kidnap Natalia, but where's the fun in making things easy for that witch? We're going to throw her for a loop here, and piss her off. It makes me happy. Without further ado, chapter seven.**

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**No POV**

Natalia plopped on the clean sofa, looking around in wonder, "I'm never going to get used to this. This is _yours_? _All of it_?" Daren nodded, heading over to the mini bar, "all of its mine. It's been a bit lonely these days, though."

Rhea, who'd been drifting through the rooms with a sleeping Belle in her arms, peeked into the living room, "It's so huge." Baili was sleeping in their chosen bedroom, but Belle didn't want to lay in the new bed just yet, so Rhea decided to carry her around. "I can't believe I almost said no."

"It took me all of one and a half days to talk you into it, missy." Talia huffed, though her eyes never left Daren as he poured them each a glass of lemonade with a lime wedge on the edge of each glass. He noticed the raised eyebrow of his love and smiled, "bar tending classes on a whim, mio amore." Talia giggled and took the glass eagerly, eyes alight with humor as she remembered her tryst of getting her ornery cousin to agree to the plan...

_Four days ago... _**(The night that the last chapter ended on.)**

_Rhea looked up as her cousin came in, swiftly locking the door behind her, "what are you doing back home so soon-" Natalia rushed over to her and grasped her hands, "if I told you it was possible for us to move to a much better apartment, what would you say?"_

"_Uh... where's the catch?" The young mother glanced at her chibis sleeping on the couch, and then back at her strangely wired up cousin, "Talia, what did you do-"_

_Natalia shot into an animated recant of her experience on the corner, how Daren had found her, she'd spilt her guts like a filter-less child, and he'd given her a ride back home. Her eyes sparkled with some strong emotion as she spoke, using her hands to get her point across like a French person. A large smile overtook her face as she told her cousin about how tenderly he'd held her in the alley, and how he'd kissed her hand in the car and given her a nick name in his mother's native language._

'I didn't need to be psychic to know that there was something between these two. The look on his face earlier gave it all away._' Rhea thought to herself with a roll of her eyes, '_I'll put her through the ringer just a teeny bit._'_

"_Sweetie, I don't know... I don't know him as well as you do, and I don't have any reason to trust him around the girls." '_Not like I do Goten._' Her mind silently tacked on, and she frowned at that._

"_Rhea, he's absolutely harmless, and what reason does he have to hurt the girls? Didn't he tell you how beautiful they were earlier? Did he look like he wanted to do something to them?" Natalia asked; her voice firm, "look, I know things are hard and you have trust issues when it comes to men. I can't understand your pain, but I know your limits... and I'm honestly not too keen on leaving you and the girls here in the slums."_

_Rhea sighed softly, "I'd completely understand if you did. You love him, Talia." Natalia blushed softly and looked down, embarrassed. Rhea smiled and cupped her cousin's cheek, "it's nothing to be ashamed of, sweet heart. Everyone falls in love at some point in life. It's natural."_

"_I know, it's just a little surreal." Natalia murmured softly. "And, if he's on his head to get you to move in, then it's got to mean that he feels something for you, too." Rhea teased, and Talia rolled her eyes, "I'm probably like a little sister to him._

'I might be an only child, but big brothers don't look at their little sisters the way he was looking at you today, cuz._' Rhea thought with a small blush, and then grinned at her cousin, "I'll think about it. Come back to me about it... tomorrow."_

_She already knew what her answer would be... she just wanted to pour on the suspense..._

"Something funny, mio amore?" Daren asked softly as he placed the glass of lemonade in her waiting hands. Natalia giggled and kissed his cheek, "nothing, dear." He smiled lovingly at her, and a blush overtook her as a new memory overtook her...

_Three days ago..._

"_I don't know what to pack." Talia huffed to herself. She stood before her small closet and bureau, wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt with '_The Nutcracker_' on the front._

_The shirt had been a gift from her grandmother before she passed away, and she cherished it and made herself a promise that she would see the Nutcracker one day for herself. The shirt also represented a memory. Every year on Christmas Eve, her mother would read the story to her before bed when she was a child. It; along with the soothing cadence of her mother's voice, was the only thing that would put the exuberant child to sleep._

"_You could always leave it all and get new clothes." Natalia whirled around. That was _not_ Rhea's voice. Daren stood in the doorway, chuckling at the shocked look on her face. Her body felt very warm as she blushed all over, and she could easily tell that her love was admiring the color in her cheeks and nose._

"_You... you look beautiful when you blush like that." Daren said; his voice strangely choked. If anything, the compliment made her blush even worse, and she sighed, "It's a bit irritating." He chuckled and walked over to her, "you make it beautiful." His warm, minty breath caressed her face, clouding her mind._

_Talia leaned closer, trying to soak him in. the musky scent of his masculinity surrounded her, and she reveled in it with a deep inhale. He seemed to be having the same problem as he greedily took in gulps of her feminine scent. Their foreheads touched, and their eyelashes brushed together as they opened their eyes to stare into each other's souls._

'He's so amazing..._' Talia thought, realizing that; with the slightest purse of her lips, they would meet with his, and then they would be kissing. She realized that it was something she wanted._

'She's so spectacular... a masterpiece._' Daren stared deeply into the depths of violet that showed him her beautiful soul. She hypnotized him with her unparalleled beauty, even though he was a willing victim._

"_Natalia?" He asked, "I think I'm going to kiss you now." She sighed softly against his lips as they began to move towards her own, "and I think I'm going to let you... and enjoy it, too." Their lips met, and it was like a fireworks display was going off in their nervous systems._

_Suddenly, it began to get hot, and Natalia couldn't get close enough. She groaned and pressed herself against him firmly, wrapping her arms around his neck. Daren growled into her mouth and wrapped his hands around her hips, squeezing them as he pulled her even closer._

_The couple stood in the middle of the bedroom, making out like two hormone riddled teenagers; though neither of them could care less. Natalia finally forced herself away, panting gently as she laid her forehead on his shoulder. Daren kissed a gentle trail down to the hollow base of her throat, where he began to suck roughly, determined to leave a mark on her porcelain skin._

"_Mmmm..." Talia knew exactly what he was doing, and didn't fight it. She liked the idea of being his and his alone. After he was satisfied with the intensity of the hickie; which would be pretty dark by the time they left her apartment for his, Daren pulled away from her neck. His forehead fell to Talia's shoulder, and she ran her hand through his tousled auburn locks, reveling in the silky feel between her fingers._

"_Come on, I'll help you pack. All your lingerie has got to go." Daren pulled away with a tender kiss on her forehead. Natalia frowned, "wait... why?" Her love smiled sheepishly, "I was going to replace it with some authentic pieces from Italy and France... if you don't mind; that is."_

"_I- that's going to be so _expensive_..." she trailed off as he raised a brow at her clumsy excuse, and she sighed, "right. Of course, if that's what you want." Daren rushed over to her and cupped her cheeks, "I didn't mean to rub it in your face." Talia shook her head and pressed a kiss to his hand, "it's alright, you didn't mean to."_

"_Soon you'll have your own money to roll around in when we handle your aunt. I promise." Daren smoothed his free hand over her blonde locks and kissed her again. The second kiss was gentler and sweeter, filled with the tender emotion he had for her._

"_What does this mean for us?" Natalia asked, pulling away, "I want this, and I'm sure you do too, but what does it mean?" Daren smiled and cupped her chin, "what do you want it to mean?" she rolled her eyes and pecked his nose, "that I'm yours and you're mine."_

"_I like the sound of that." With that, they shared their third kiss..._

_Between herself, Rhea, and the girls, they only had three suitcases. One for herself, one for Rhea, and one for the twin's stuff. All in all, it didn't take up much space in the back seat. Natalia rode shotgun, leaving Rhea in the back with her two little girls. Belle was taking a nap; she'd gotten a fever while they were packing, and she was exhausted. Baili was awake and excited to see their new home._

_They made a quick stop at the registry office; so Natalia could turn in her key and fill out some paperwork, and then the three of them were off..._

"I was going to call my sister so she could take you and the girls shopping for new clothes tomorrow." Natalia looked over at her boyfriend; she couldn't get enough of that word, questionably, "is it Lāori? Oh, I've missed her. I haven't seen her in years."

"She's married with a baby on the way, and she's missed you too." Daren said, smiling at his enthusiastic girlfriend. "She's just barely a year older than me. Wow." Natalia trailed off, "when is she coming?"

"Right now."

"I can- I'm sorry, what?" Daren snickered at the expression on her angelic face. She was truly thrown. "She's literally coming down the hall, according to the text I just received." Immediately, there was an enthusiastic knock at the door, and Daren hurried over to answer it.

"His little sister is here?" Rhea asked softly, sitting down beside her cousin with a sigh. She'd just returned from putting Belle down for the night, and was incredibly happy that both twins went down without a fight.

A very short, almost child-sized woman with the same blue eyes, auburn hair, and tanned skin as Daren came skipping through the door. It was almost comical, considering how round she was with child. She latched onto Daren with a squeal, "I missed you, big brother!"

A tall man with thick, dark brown hair and honey brown eyes came in, his skin even more tan than the Foster siblings. He carried two suitcases with him as he came into the apartment. _This must be her husband_, Natalia deduced, watching the two of them talk to Daren; thanking her lucky stars that some of the clothes she had were presentable for company. She headed to her room to get the phone Daren had given her.

"Oh... my... _kami_... Tali-chan, is that you?"

Natalia froze, her hand hovering over the phone. She slowly turned; her eyes warm and damp as tears began to form. She took in her closest childhood friend for the first time in nearly five years. The two of them stood there, tears of joy falling down their numb cheeks, staring at each other.

Lāori was a vision of impending mother hood with her glowing aura, rounded stomach, and bright eyes. She looked like the picture of a perfect woman; happy, healthy, and in love. Natalia couldn't say the same for herself; yes, she was in love, but she was she happy? With Daren, the answer was a yes, but with her history... it left her confused and slightly angry. Of course she was upset and confused. What drove her aunt to doing those things to her? Her thoughts were shattered by the warm hug of the short, pregnant woman now wrapped around her frame.

"Oh, Tali, I missed you so much." Lāori whispered tearfully. She pulled away and reached up to cup her friend's face, "honey, where have you been?" Natalia sighed wearily and gave her friend a brittle smile, "Here and there, I guess you could say." She didn't have the will to go into her story right now. Not tonight, "what are you doing back in town?"

**(A/N: It's very much possible for someone to be best friends with the little sister of their future/current love interest and have never met said love interest.)**

Lāori was just as sharp as she'd been during their childhood, if not more so with the time spent apart. She knew her friend like the back of her hand, "don't give me that, ma'am. Where is '_here and there_'?"

"Lei-chan, can we do this some other time? I don't have the energy to sort through... _that_. Not tonight, at least." Natalia confessed, wiping her face with her fist. Lāori's face softened, and she nodded in agreement, "of course, sweetie. Now, who's that wonderful girl in the living room?"

"My cousin."

"She's so- wait... your _cousin_? She's the girl that they'd been talking about on the news? Tali, there's a ten billion zeni prize on her head if she's returned to your uncle." Natalia's eyes widened, "_Ten billion_? Uncle Nick must be dead serious on this."

"I literally just got off of a plane an hour ago, and I am _pooped_, so I can't say anything on the matter. Maybe Mama will take me with her if she goes to see him anytime soon." Lāori went quiet and glanced down at her belly, exasperated, "I swear you never sleep, little girl."

"It's a girl?" Natalia asked softly, and Lāori nodded, "it's a bundle of energy, that's what. Not even out of the womb and she's already pulling all-nighters. Just wait till her college days... the horror." The two women laughed softly, and then looked up when Daren and Lāori's husband came in with drinks. Rhea followed behind him, immediately placing herself closer to the women.

Lāori followed her movements with a sharp eye, but looked away when her brother gave her a _look_, "this is my wonderful husband, Jason Olivas. Jay, this is Natalia Johansen. She's been my soul-sister since we were in diapers."

Jason's eyes widened, "so you're Natasha and Howard's daughter? I didn't see you at the funeral." Natalia flushed with shame and looked down, "I- uh, I couldn't- excuse me." She left the room quickly, and Daren noticed the gleam of tears in her eyes.

"Hold on." Daren followed her out to his balcony, where she sat in the corner of it, pressed against the walls on the sides of it. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she couldn't find the will to fight off the shame.

"What kind of horrid spoilt brat must I be to skip out on my parents' funeral?" She spat bitterly, and then sobbed, "All this fucking time, and it never even crossed my mind that they might have had a _funeral_. I mean, come on, they did _die_ after all." A hysterical giggle escaped her, and she looked up at her boyfriend with tear-filled, wild eyes, "Aunt Mavis was right. I never deserved any of their money. I'm just a little spoilt brat who needed to learn to stop taking things for granted." She laughed again, "That's why they died, you know? Because I took them for granted just like I did everything else."

Daren knelt down in front of her as she laughed again and grasped her hands, "no one deserves to lose their parents." Natalia ripped her hands away from him with a hiss, "what the _hell_ do _you_ know about what _I_ deserve? Aunt Mavis may have stolen my kami damned inheritance, but I could've at least found out if there was going to be a funeral before I tucked my tail and hid. She predicted this; that I would have nowhere to turn but to become a whore. I proved her right, and I hate myself for it..."

"She _what_?"

Both of them looked up as Lāori stormed out onto the balcony, furious. She too had noticed that Natalia was visibly upset, and she'd berated her husband soundly before coming to her aid, but paused when she heard her friend confessing tearfully what had happened to her in the past four years.

"I knew something was up when people started talking about how you weren't there. She had this smug look on her face, like she'd won the kami damned lottery." She continued. Natalia buried her face in Daren's chest, "Lāori, I-"

"I don't care." Lāori whispered, "You did what you had to do in order to survive. I'm not going to hold that against you, because I love you too much." Natalia gave her a grateful smile, "thank you so much."

"Hey, what are friends for. How about we go to bed, and then we'll get some shopping done tomorrow while big brother is working. And you," Lāori pierced her brother with a smug stare, "I knew you liked her all along."

"But did you know that my feelings were returned?" Her jaw fell as Natalia pressed her lips to his for a romantic kiss, "W-when?"

"Four days ago, give or take." Natalia said, blushing deep red. Lāori rolled her eyes, "I think we should just go to bed, now." Natalia and Daren laughed, but followed the pregnant woman back into the apartment, their hands interlocked intimately.

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**This was supposed to be a big chapter, but I wanted Natalia to have a better connection with Daren's family, and I remembered that he had two sisters! So I brought Lāori in as her childhood friend. I'll start on chapter eight. Eight will start off the following morning, and will be riddled with serious conversations, some of which will have dire consequences. I wanted this chapter to have a bit more to it, so I'll throw in another flashback of the past four days in the next chapter. It was supposed to be in this one, but I got sleepy; it's currently twelve 'o four in the morning, and I need to sleep so I can think straight tomorrow. Much Love, SukiChan12^-^**


	8. La forza di sangue

**I can't believe I'm doing this again so soon, but I really like this story, and I like making up the twists and turns that it will take as it goes on. I'm going to put AO and PR on hiatus for a while. I have updates in line for both, but they aren't coming along as well as I like, and I wanted some free time to brainstorm so I figure out where I went wrong. In the meantime, I'll work on updating this and FM. Now, onto the serious chapter!**

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_Flashback... _**(Two days after the night that chapter six ended on)**

"_What do you mean she's not dead!? Why didn't you take her when you first spotted her!?" Mavis all but screeched into her iPhone, her other hand clenched into a fist at her side. Laria, her 25 year old daughter, watched her pace, clearly annoyed with her antics. She never liked the things her mother did to get to the things she wanted most and neither did her twin brother, Larkin. He leaned against the wall beside his sister, watching his mother wear a hole into the floor._

_Neither twin used the money that she'd procured from their Aunt's death, seeing as they had their own. Laria was a very successful model, and Larkin was an engineer; he designed the building plans for homes and oversaw the construction process._

"_Find her, then!" Mavis disconnected the call and hurled the phone across the room, hardly flinching as the thing shattered when it hit the wall. She knew she could just buy a new one, after all. Laria shot her an embarrassed look and left the room, "is that all you wanted us here for, so you could throw tantrums and break things?"_

"_Shut up, you ungrateful wretch." Mavis hissed, glowering at her, "how dare you disrespect me after all I've done for you." Laria rolled her eyes, "I haven't spent so much as a dollar of your money since Auntie Tasha died. If I remember correctly, I got a contract for Victoria's Secret and have been bathing in my own money since then. I don't need your stolen goods, mother."_

"_I didn't steal anything that wasn't rightfully mine."_

"_Oh?" Larkin raised a brow, "so I must've imagined that Aunt Tasha and Uncle Howie had a child that was most likely in line to inherit everything they had, huh? What a shame that you were next in line for it all."_

"_She didn't deserve it!" Mavis screeched, "She's lived a worry-free life since she was born! It's time she see how it is for me!"_

"_This again? You hardly had any trouble keeping yourself bathed in riches, because Grandfather showered you in money and gifts because, clearly, neither one of them loved you. Even I could tell that Grandmother despised you." Laria said haughtily, "Though I do wonder how she could hate her child, but not her grandchildren. This isn't about not having enough, mother, it's about jealousy because Auntie Tasha and Uncle Nicky were always the favorites."_

"_You don't know anything, Laria." Mavis said at last, "So don't act like you do." Laria narrowed her eyes at the pudgy, older woman, but said nothing else. She didn't need the confirmation of her stupid mother to know she was right. She was jealous, always had been, and always would be. Laria could easily concede that her Aunt had the prettiest grandchild, with the newest one in the bunch; Rhea, being a close second._

_Both twins came out with matching black hair and those famed violet eyes, though it was hard to tell how it'd trickled so far down the bloodline. The majority of the grandkids had gotten these eyes, and, while Rhea didn't, she shared a lot of facial qualities with Grandmother Nora, like her heart-shaped face, and large, almond shaped eyes._

_When her mother left the room, she locked eyes with her twin, "did you...?" He held up a small recording device, "I got it. We'll give it to Trunks soon." That recording device was full of juicy info, from her staging her sister's death, to tampering with both her sister's and parent's wills, and arranging for her niece to be killed. When the time came, she was going down._

**(A/N: Trunks was running reconnaissance on Mavis. Bulma knows Mavis's children through Natasha, because she's never met Mavis.)**

"Knock knock..." a jubilant voice came from the door to Trunks' office. Pan slid off of his desk and went to answer it. She opened the door to a familiar set of brunettes with purple eyes, "Laria, Larkin. Come on in."

"Nice to see you, Pan."

"Nice to see you, too, Laria." Pan wasn't in on the plan; nor was Marron, but that would all soon change today at lunch. Trunks and Uub were planning to fill the both of them in, as well as reunite Natalia with her cousins.

"I come bearing a valuable piece of information." Larkin said with a chuckle, "and I commend you for helping us to rid ourselves of that dreadful woman." He then slid Trunks the device, and the Briefs placed the device into the file with all the other info he'd compiled on Mavis's wrongdoings. All they needed was the okay from Natalia.

"What the hell is going on here?" Pan snipped, annoyed at being so out of the loop. Trunks looped an arm around his fiancée's waist and pulled her into his side, "I'll explain it at lunch today."

"Oh? So does that mean we're going to _Grande Luxe_?" Pan asked sweetly, looking up at him with eyes that screamed a promise of murder if he told her otherwise. "Yes, we'll go to your favorite." Trunks conceded, and she hopped up to kiss him on the lips as thanks before scampering out of the room, most likely to squeal about it with Marron.

"Your fiancée is something else." Laria said with a giggle, "I like her." Trunks nodded, "I've known that little spitfire for a while now." _Her whole life_, he tacked on silently, "the wedding's this coming May, if you guys can make it." Larkin nodded, "my schedule can be freed up easily. I don't know about Madame Model here."

"I don't have any projects that month. We'll be there." Laria said softly, nudging her twin in the side, "should I ask you if you're going to bring a date?" Larkin rolled his eyes, "I _do_ have a girlfriend, Laria. I didn't take after mom in looks, after all." The two of them left the room, bickering like the siblings they were.

Trunks' thoughts immediately drifted to Bra. She was going to lunch with their mother today, and he knew, without a doubt, that Bulma would ask her about... _it_. There was no other way to describe the mess between her, Goten, and Juunana. His heart went out to his mother, who didn't deserve the burden of the hard news.

*lunchtime*

"Reservations for Briefs for sixteen, please." Trunks said smoothly, linking arms with his fiancée. The greeter nodded once, "right this way, Mr. Briefs."

So far, only Trunks, Pan, Marron, Uub, and Goten had arrived. The twins, Daren, Natalia, Rhea; and her twins, Lāori, and Jason had yet to arrive. Daren had skipped out on work to help the women carry their bags. A grave mistake on his part, in Trunks' eyes. Even Pan had a tendency to go absolutely nuts when she got into one of her favorite stores, even though she claimed not to be a shopaholic.

The party was led to a posh room, decorated with only the best high end furniture. The table was already set, laden with appetizers and glasses full of ice, waiting to be filled with drinks. There were to child safe cups for Baili and Belle.

"Sweet, the food's already here." Goten took a seat at the table and reached over to an appetizer. Pan phased across the room and smacked him on the back of the hand, "wait until everyone is here, Son Goten."

"Someone's been channeling their grandmother." A sardonic, teasing voice called. "Mama, Papa!" Pan rushed over to her parents and hugged them both, "I'm glad you could join us for lunch." Gohan kissed her on the forehead and shook Trunks' hand, "so, five more months to back out." The father told him teasingly, and Trunks shook his head, "I'm ready, Gohan. No backing out, now."

"Stop being so fatherly, Gohan." Videl said, hitting her husband in his gut, "we came to eat lunch with them, not tease Trunks." Gohan sighed and took a seat next to his brother. His wife took the seat beside him to keep him in check.

"Trunks, we're here." Laria and Larkin came in, each with a date on their arm. Larkin had a small red headed woman with brown eyes on his arm, Laria had a tall black haired man with blue eyes on her arm. "We raised the party size to eighteen. Sorry."

"It's fine. The table's set for twenty two." Trunks sat at the head of the table with Pan on his right, and Goten on his left. Marron sat beside Pan, and her husband, Uub, sat next to her. The two women began to discuss dresses, and Laria and Nicole; Larkin's girlfriend, jumped right into the conversation. Videl joined in, leaving the men to discuss... whatever.

Daren showed up at long last, with an extraordinary blonde haired woman on his arm. Natalia gazed around the room, slightly intimidated by all the people. Lāori and Rhea gave her a nudge, and she spotted Goten at the table, "Goten, hey."

"Natalia. Long time no see." Larkin and Laria looked up at the name, and both of their gazes landed on the statuesque woman Daren had on his arm. Rhea squeezed around her with her girls, both of whom remained tucked to her sides. They didn't know anyone in the room, and they hadn't seen Goten yet. Lāori waddled after her, and then spotted Laria, "Laria?"

"Lāori?"

"Cuz?" Natalia rushed over to her, and the two of them hugged. "I've missed you so much. I'm so sorry for what my mother did to you, Tali." Laria rambled. "It's okay, Riri, you're not her." Natalia told her fervently, and then gestured to Rhea, "Want to meet our new cousin?"

Rhea walked over to them nervously, biting her lip. Natalia wrapped an arm around her shoulder comfortingly, "this is Rhea, our cousin. Rhea, this is Laria, and that's Larkin. They're our other cousins." Rhea smiled, "nice to meet you." Laria grinned, "It's nice to meet you, too."

"Alright, enough meet and greet. Can we eat now?" Daren requested jokingly, "I think Goten's about ready to eat the table." Goten flushed as everyone began to laugh at his suspense, but couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment when he saw Rhea giggling at him.

*meanwhile*

"So, why are you having lunch with your brother? He's having lunch with quite a few people over at the _Grand Luxe_." Bulma asked, watching her daughter's face carefully as they pulled into the parking lot of Sakura Garden for lunch.

"I wasn't _invited_." Bra said coolly, turning the engine off and grabbing her purse. She climbed out of the car, waiting for her mother to get out, and then locked the door and headed into the restaurant.

"That's never stopped you before-"

"Look," Bra cut in harshly, "if you want to go have lunch with golden boy, then go right ahead. If you don't want to have lunch with me, then just say it out right, so I can go on about my day." Bulma frowned at her strange behavior, "I want to have lunch with you-"

"Then why are you asking why I'm not having lunch with Trunks? Maybe I didn't want to eat with him today." She sighed wearily and whispered under her breath, "_I know where I'm not wanted_." Bulma raised a brow at the whisper, but didn't say anything as Bra gave the reservations to the maître d.

The two bluenettes were led to a table and left with their menus. They both settled down to look at the menus, and Bra pulled her wedding plans out of her bag and laid them on the table, quietly looking them over.

"So... why are Pan and Marron not in the wedding party? I always thought that Pan would've been your maid of honor; if not her, then at least Marron..." Bra's eyes flashed with guilt and she looked away, "they didn't want to be, and Marron's going to be Pan's _maid of honor_." She spat the last few words.

Even though she knew she more than deserved to be dragged over the coals, it still hurt to have her best friend replace her. She'd already had a dress in mind, and then, the next thing she knew, she was kicked out of the bridal party as a whole. As a matter of fact, if Trunks hadn't stepped in, she would've gotten crossed off of the guest list.

"Really? I thought Pan was your best friend." _I did too, mom..._ Bra sighed, "I don't care about it anymore. It's a personal matter."

"Bra, what happened? You're not telling me everything." Bulma raised a brow at her youngest. "I don't have to tell you everything that goes on in my life. If I want to keep it to myself, then let me." Bra snapped, picking her menu back up as the waiter approached to take their drink orders.

"I'll take the Cherry Berry Fizzler, cobbler of course." Bra said at once, barely looking at her menu. The waitress nodded and jotted it down, "and you, Mrs. Briefs?" Bulma looked at her menu, "I'll take the Moonbeam Macaroon with a shot of liqueur. Make it a cobbler mist, please."

**(A/N: Bar terminology: Cobbler; A tall drink of any liquor served in a collins or highball glass with shaved or crushed ice and garnished with fresh fruit and mint sprigs. Mist; A liquor served over a glass filled with crushed ice, often a way of serving liqueur as an after dinner drink. When Bulma says Mist, she means she specifically wants crushed iced, rather than either crushed or shaved. I made of the drink names, so bear with me.)**

The waitress nodded once and headed to the bar to turn in their drink orders. Bulma, who'd been perusing the menu for her entrée choice, dropped the menu and shot her daughter a cold look, "I already talked to Trunks, and he wouldn't say anything about it. He said; if you won't tell me, then Pan would be glad to. I could head over to the _Grand Luxe_ right now and ask, if you'd like."

Bra's eyes flashed with fear; she knew that Pan would take pleasure in making the story worse than it was; to repay her for the pain she'd caused Goten. A soft sigh of defeat left her countenance, _well played, big brother, well played_...

"Fine; though I don't see where you get off, poking in my personal life." Bra said haughtily, "I'll just say it. I cheated on Goten with Juunanago. Everyone's mad at me, and that's why Pan and I aren't on speaking terms. Happy now?" if she hadn't been so fed up with her mother's incessant questions, Bra might've tried to soften it, but her irritation had gotten the best of her. She was like her father in that way.

Bulma's jaw fell, "you... what- Bra, why? What did that boy ever do to deserve that?"

"Nothing." Bra said sadly, looking down at her lap, "he was the perfect, ideal boyfriend, and I was the idiot who couldn't keep her heart in the relationship. Juunana just... he does something for me that Goten never could, and I acted on those feelings at the wrong time. I should've broken things off with Goten as soon as I realized I didn't love him like I used to, but... he was so happy, and I couldn't bear to hurt him, so I went behind his back. One day, I decided to drag Juunana back to our apartment to fool around... and he came home from work early and caught us. Marron and Pan have hated me ever since, and I deserve every bit of it."

"You're right, Bra, you do deserve it. I didn't raise you to be a backstabber, Buraja." Bulma said, her voice firm. "Oh, so when you started screwing around with Daddy behind Yamcha's back, it was perfectly fine to be a backstabber, but now that I've done the same thing to Goten, it's a horrible crime. Don't be such a hypocrite mom, we all know you're not as perfect as you seem."

"That's beside the point-"

"No it isn't. You fell in love with Daddy while you were still with Yamcha, and, instead of dumping him, you went behind his back and fucked Dad. Face it, mom, you're just as much of a soiled dove as I. Kami, it's the same situation all over again; maybe I inherited more than your looks, mother. You can eat lunch by yourself, because I'm not about to sit here and listen to your hypocritical bullshit." Bra snatched the wedding plans off of the table and stood up, "I'll plan the damn wedding by myself, too."

Bulma watched her storm out to her car, hop in, throw her things in the back seat, and speed off like a bat out of hell, feelings of confliction. Was her situation with Yamcha really the same as Bra's situation with Goten? _Yes_, she realized numbly, _yes it is_.

Yamcha didn't realize that she didn't love him anymore until she told him that Trunks wasn't his baby. Tears pricked at her eyes as she remembered the abject look devastation and betrayal on his face. He couldn't even bear to look her in the eye, not even now. Yes, she was satisfied with her life, and she loved Vegeta and her children more than life itself, but it still made her heart sting with guilt when the past was thrown in her face.

"Mrs. Briefs, here's your drink." The waitress set the drink down before the conflicted woman. Bulma looked up at her and handed her the zeni for both drinks, "I'll take them to go. Thank you." the sweet waitress nodded and headed into the kitchen to get some to-go cups.

_Bra's right... I am a hypocrite_.

*meanwhile*

"Your girls are absolutely gorgeous." Laria gushed, smiling at the two little cherubs sitting on either side of Rhea. Belle blushed and Baili giggled, much to the amusement of the adults at the table. The little moment was shattered when Pan began to hit Trunks on the arm, hissing something under her breath. After a moment, she stood up and dragged him out of the private room, headed outside, presumably to talk.

"Why the hell is she sending me a text to come outside, Trunks? I blocked her number for a kami damned reason-"

"Nice to see you too, Pan." Bra said softly, pushing away from her cherry red convertible, "I told mom, and you know what she did?"

"Gave you the tongue lashing you deserved?" Pan replied sharply. "She tried to. Oh, but she forgot that what she did to Yamcha was exactly what I did to Goten. Mom's just a hypocrite." Bra snapped back, "So before you go off, whining about how horrible I am for not telling my mother what I've done, why don't you consider the fact that she committed the exact same crime. Telling her was like walking up to a mirror and telling myself something I already knew."

"But _she_ didn't cheat on my uncle now did she? This doesn't change anything, Bra, and I hope that wasn't what you were thinking. Bulma made a mistake, yes, but she's definitely not you." Pan told her, her tongue sharper than glass, "don't try to get into contact with me again, traitor."

"Pan, how many times am I going to have to apologize before you believe me?"

"Why don't you try and find out, you-"

"Pan, you're being childish." Trunks said at last, "Bra's honestly trying to fix things between you, and you're being too prideful and stubborn to let her."

"Well, I'm sorry if blood runs thicker than water these days, Trunks. Goten's basically my older brother, and you don't screw with family. I don't give a damn about how close we were; family is family, no matter what."

Pan looked down at her shoes, "I completely understand if you take her side, because she's your little sister, and you're obligated to protect her. I have no such obligation, and I'm saying right now; I'm done with her."

**(A/N: I know, Pan's being extraordinarily difficult, but I never saw her as the type to just forgive and forget. She strikes me as a grudge holder, kind of like her mother with the saiyaman thing, so that's what I'm trying to portray. I already mentioned how close she and Goten were, didn't I?)**

Bra's jaw fell, "You can't be serious. You're just going to throw away a lifetime of memories because I made one mistake."

"Can you honestly blame me? I thought I knew you, Bra. I thought that we were going to be related; that you and Uncle Goten would get married someday, but no, you dashed all of my hopes and opened my eyes. You're not the girl I thought you were, and _nothing_ can change that." Pan hissed venomously.

"I'm throwing away a lifetime of memories because you don't know the damage you caused. This shoulder," she pointed to her right shoulder, "was the one that Goten cried on when he came to our house that night. I was the one who bore witness to the havoc you wrecked on him, and I don't see any reason to forgive you after what I saw. It wasn't pretty, Bra."

Trunks' eyes widened as angry, frustrated tears began to run down his fiancée's cheeks. "If I was a fucking telepath, I'd throw it all back in your face and let you see. Maybe then you'd understand. But I can't do that, so I'll go with the childish derivative. We. Are. _Not_. Friends. Anymore. Not now. Not ever again."

Bra's eyes began to water, but she pushed the tears back, "If that's how you want it." Trunks frowned at his fiancée, "Pan, this is extreme, even for you-"

"Why don't you talk to her about how _extreme_ it is? It's her fucking fault." Pan whispered hoarsely, "I'm done here." She headed back into the restaurant, wiping her face furiously.

"I'll talk to her, but I'm not making any promises. You made your bed, so you get to lie in it." Trunks told his little sister, feeling conflicted. He knew what she'd done was wrong, but his bog brother instincts told him to protect her. She had to learn some lessons on her own; though her watering blue eyes were wearing down on his resolve.

"Trunks, I know I made a mistake, and I'm sorry..."

"Mistakes come with consequences Bra, you know that."

"I know..." She turned and headed back to her car, "it's been two years, now, and I still haven't paid enough. I wonder how much longer... never mind." She slid into her car and pulled out, headed home to the only place where no one was upset with her and her choices.

*Inside* **(A/N: Pan's upset because she doesn't like to fight with Bra, even when she's in the wrong. She still cares about her, despite what she says.)**

Everyone looked up when Pan blew past the table in her haste to get to the restroom, and Marron quickly followed her worriedly, "Pan?" Pan disappeared inside of the posh bathroom, with Marron trailing behind her.

Rhea and Natalia shared a look of confusion. What was going on here? Goten stood up as Trunks came in, looking wild in the eyes. Everyone looked at him for some form of an answer.

"Bra and Pan had another fight, and Pan really ripped into her this time." Gohan sighed and looked at Videl. She nodded and headed to the bathroom to see what the fuss was about.

"Natalia?" Trunks asked softly, "if you don't mind, could I talk to you and Daren for a second?" The blonde nodded and stood up from the table, with Daren trailing behind her. The trio retreated to a corner to talk quietly.

"I have enough evidence complied to send your Aunt to prison for a good amount of time. Your cousins helped me get most of it, but it's up to you if you want to take her to court." Trunks said at once, refusing to beat around the bush. Natalia's eyes widened, "you do?" Trunks nodded once, "yes, and there's one other thing. She was orchestrating your death. She even hired an assassin to find you and kill you."

"What? But why?" Talia's eyes began to flood with tears, and Daren wrapped a comforting arm around her waist. Both Rhea and Goten walked over to them, each worried for the blonde. Their eyes met as they closed the distance, and Rhea smiled shyly, "hi." Goten chuckled nervously, "H-hey Rhea." She giggled; an adorable, tinkling noise that made his heart flutter in his chest.

Gohan watched smugly from his seat, _'Ten is so whipped. I wonder who she is... I hope she isn't anything like Bra._ The protective big brother crossed his arms over his chest and settled down to watch his little brother stutter over his words as he conversed with the small beauty, silently laughing to himself.

**(A/N: LOL, Gohan, you meanie.)**

"Hmm, you've never stuttered before." Rhea told him, smirking at his plight. "Well, it happens sometimes." Goten tried, in vain, to calm himself down. He couldn't help it; being in her presence made him act weird. He didn't mind it, though; if weirdness made her laugh, then he'd be weird. The two of them made their way over to Trunks, Daren, and Natalia.

"She mentioned something about how you'd be able to reclaim all the things that she took from you once you turned twenty five, so she decided to get rid of you in the only way she could. She also organized for your mother and father to die in the accident." Trunks told her sadly.

"She's horrible. How does she sleep at night?" Natalia asked no one in particular, clearly upset with all the news she was receiving.

"With two very strong sleeping aid pills and a mouthful of Zzzquil to wash them down." Larkin said sardonically as he and Laria joined the conversation.

"You're really going to send your own mother to prison for me?" Talia asked softly, looking at both her cousins in turn. "Well, she's a bitch, to put it lightly." Laria said with a small laugh, "and she's had it coming ever since we found out she had Auntie Tasha and Uncle Howie killed."

"You're the victim here, cuz, and we definitely didn't inherit her heartlessness." Larkin said, ruffling her blonde locks, "Now, Mali on the other hand..." Somalia '_Mali_' was the twin's older sister, by all of a year, and had her mother up on a pedestal like she was Kami by the time she was old enough to crawl. Natalia, Larkin, and Laria didn't play with her when they were younger; she was too weird for them.

"Mali's not in on any of this. We knew she'd snitch if we told her anything, so she got left out. She was happy when mom said she was going to kill you, the evil bitch." Laria muttered angrily, "now, what do you want to do about it?"

"I'll... I'll take her to court." Natalia said slowly, like she wasn't sure of her answer. "Hey, little bit." Larkin said, nudging Rhea gently, "when are you going to meet your dad?" Rhea shrugged, uncertain, "I'm still debating on that."

Natalia knew the real reason why she wasn't ready to go back. She wasn't ready to face her mother, who, according to the news, was soon to come out of rehab. Her father was planning to marry the woman. Maybe she was different without the lust for drugs clouding her mind, or maybe she wasn't. She didn't know and she wasn't sure she wanted to find out.

"Rey, I think you should meet him." Talia said firmly, "he's missed you, and I know you missed him, too." Laria nodded, "Uncle Nicky is awesome. You'll love him." _It's not him that's the problem,_ Rhea retorted silently, _it's my mother_.

"Maybe, one of these days." She conceded with a soft sigh, and noticed Goten watching her. Their eyes met, and she looked away with a blush. _Kami, what's wrong with me? Why does he do this to me_? Usually, any man who looked at her the way Goten did would send her into a tailspin, but with him, it was different. He didn't seem to have that mysterious, slightly malicious edge that men always seemed to have; in her eyes. She even liked being around him, when she usually shied away from male company.

Goten couldn't help the small, disappointed sigh that escaped him when she looked down at her shoes. Granted, he had an idea of why she didn't make eye contact much, but still. He liked getting lost in the emerald depths she called eyes. They were uncharted territory, something he desperately wanted to change in the future.

_And I will... one of these days..._

*that night*

"Have you found her yet?" Mavis spoke slowly into the phone, as if she were trying her hardest to keep her temper at bay. "Oh? You have? Where is she staying?" her eyebrows shot up to her hairline, "she's holed up with that brat from that wretched ranching family? Little whore, I knew she couldn't stay away from riches for too long. She's been spoiled for too damn long."

"Yes, I realize it'll be hard to get her out in the open, now. What's that? Nicky's niece is there, too? I wonder why she didn't go home to daddy; I know she'd have to have seen those flyers. No matter, I could care less about what he does with his brats. I should've killed him, his whore, and their brat off; then I'd have _everything_ to myself. Mmmm, actually, that doesn't sound too bad. What do you think, Silas? I'll pay six times more, and then I'll double that."

A greedy smile appeared on her thin lips, "I like the way you think. It's up to you how you pick off Nicholas and Rebekah; I can't help you there, but Rhea and Natalia should be no problem. I want it done soon, and it better look good." She hung up the phone and placed it on her bedside table. A pair of blue pills and a shot glass full of a thick, clear liquid sat on the bedside table.

"Now, to chase these demons away." She dropped the pills at the back of her throat and knocked back the glass of liquid, "sweet dreams for a wonderful planner." She climbed into bed and closed her eyes, smiling as she drifted off under the lull of the medicine.

Larkin backed away from the door and turned the recorder off, slipping it into his pocket. He then pretended to be on his way to his room, fully aware of the blue eyes on his back as he disappeared into his room. Before he climbed into bed, he switched the recording device with a decoy that would play the birthday song and a few different languages and laid it on his bedside before climbing into bed. The real device was locked away in the safe in the floor under his closet.

Before long, his door cracked open, and he watched through squinted lids as his older sister took the decoy device and scampered from the room, thinking she had him for sure.

_You're not giving mom away, little Lark, not now, not ever._ Mali slipped the device into her bra and went back to her room. She had a hammer waiting to go to work on the silver piece of metal.

_Kami, my older sister is an idiot._ Larkin thought to himself before lapsing into real sleep, a satisfied grin on his lips.

* * *

**How was that for a little twist? I did mention that Mavis had children, so don't be too surprised. Bulma and Bra are having the epitome of a falling out, she and Pan are still having it out, and Goten is hopelessly falling for the little green eyed woman with the two angels. *cue Gohan's laughter***

**Mavis is going a little crazy, isn't she? And Rhea's rapist will pop up again; in later chapters, and just wait till you find out whom he really is. Things will get interesting for sure, and Goten and Rhea **_**will**_** get their chapter when I finally have my fill of drama.**

**I like the idea that some of Mavis's kids are working against her and helping Natalia, so I gave her a few bad ass cousins.**

**A few more ages:**

**Lāori; 25, Laria; 25, Larkin; 25, Mali; 26, Jason; 33, Nicholas; 39, Rebekah; 38 (they had Rhea when they were seventeen and sixteen; respectively.) Mavis; 47, Dahlia; 36, David; 56, Livy; 54**


	9. Outtake: intervento materno

**This outtake is going to be very exciting. For one thing, Pan **_**is**_** being childish; yes, I do realize that, now that I'm reading the chapter over, V-ChanLSSJ, and it's time to send in some reinforcements. AKA: Her mother. We'll include that scene in this chapter as well as others. I'll include a list of OCs with each chapter, because my crazy self-included a lot of L names. What can I say? The letter L is amazing.**

**Daren's family**** (only the ones who've made an appearance)**

**Lyvianna- mother, Lāori- little sister, David- father, Jason- brother in-law**

**Natalia and Rhea's family**

**Laria- cousin, Larkin- cousin, Mali- cousin, Mavis- aunt, Nicholas- uncle (N)/father (R) Belle and Baili- cousin (N) children (R)**

**I don't plan on including Daren's dad, older sister, or Mali, because their roles aren't as important. Larkin and Laria's roles will lose importance after they take Mavis to court. Livy with fade out as well, so the only ones that'll remain will be Livy, Nick, Lāori, and the three main OCs, Natalia, Rhea, and Daren. The other ones are there to provide support for the main characters.**

* * *

**No POV**

Pan leaned up against the wall, getting a sound tongue lashing from her mother. she'd been filled on on the situation, and was more than ready to solve it, by, in a round about way, telling her daughter to grow up and stop acting her shoe size. (Approx. a 5 and a half, mind you.)

"This has got to stop, Pan." Videl said firmly, "it's been two years too long. So what, she cheated on Goten. All of us were mad at some point, but we've gotten over it. If you don't want to talk to her then don't. Don't make a spectacle of letting her know that you aren't happy with her. This isn't high school, and you're an adult. Act like it."

Pan huffed and nodded, "fine. I'll let it go." Videl sighed, "You've been dragging her over the coals for two years now. Hasn't she burned long enough?"

Pan started to retort angrily, but paused, considering her answer before she spat out some nonsensical crap. Yes she was entitled to her anger; Goten had been an absolute wreck after the fact, but he'd gotten better... it was her holding everyone back, constantly reminding everyone of what she'd done to Goten. And her uncle was a grown man. He didn't need his niece watching his back and protecting him.

"I know, I've been shoving it in her face, and I'm an idiot, but that doesn't make things right. Mama, I've known her since we were in diapers, but I could never see her doing anything like this. It's... it's crazy." Pan said softly, "she was misguided, I'll give her that, but it still wasn't the best thing to do. It wasn't like she didn't have a choice. Everybody makes mistakes, sometime. I have a tendency to forget that not everyone is perfect."

"There we go. I'm not saying that you have to go be buddy-buddy with her again, but at least stop gutting her every chance you get. Just ignore her like a good adult." Videl placed her hands on Pan's shoulder, "you have weak moments, so why couldn't she? She fell for someone else while she was in a relationship, it happens in the movies all the time."

"Okay, now you're rubbing my mistakes in my face."

"And? How does it feel?"

"Really humiliating."

"Exactly, so why would you want to do that to anyone else? I know for a fact that we raised you better." Videl smacked her cheek gently, "learn to _ignore_. I know it irritates you that she up and got engaged not even a few months after she got caught, but sometimes you've got to just ignore it and let it go."

**(A/N: Bra got engaged two months after Goten caught her and Juunana. They would've gotten married sooner, but her miscarriage (read chapter two again if you forgot) set things back quite a bit.)**

"I am the grandmother of the Ox Princess and the daughter of Mr. Satan's daughter. I don't think I have the genes to ignore."

"Oh shut up, Pan." The two women giggled and shared a hug in the bathroom of the _Grand Luxe_ before leaving the room.

"Please tell me you set her straight." Trunks practically begged, "I love you, Pan, but you need to quit verbally murdering my little sister." Pan blushed and looked down, "I know... it's just hard to not hold a grudge."

"Goten didn't hold a grudge."

"Goten also _isn't_ my daughter." Videl said, snickering, "and Goten has too much of Goku in him to even begin to understand how to hold a grudge." Gohan, who'd been sauntering up behind his wife, abruptly paused, "Videl!"

"What? It's the truth and you know it." The couple settled into a bickering match, and Trunks pulled Pan into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry." Pan told him sincerely, "really I am. I'm going to do better with my temper and my grudges."

"I like the sound of that, love." Trunks leaned down to pressed his lips to hers, but stopped short, "promise you'll do better?" Pan smirked, "I hold no bounds that I _will_ do better, but I can promise you that I'll try my best." Their lips met in a soft kiss that quickly deepened into a passionate smooch.

* * *

**I included this because sometimes you just need a good reality check, usually via your mother, to realize when enough is enough. That and I love TxP fluff scenes. So, no more verbally ripping people apart, yay! I fear for the people who break the hearts of Pan and Trunks' future children though. Lol, thanks for reading- SukiChan12^-^**


	10. Nel bel mezzo della tempesta

**Alright, now that the outtake is out of the way, we can get to that GotenxRhea chapter. Natalia and Daren are together, yays, and now we can focus on getting Goten and Rhea together. Both have proven to be quite difficult. You know how when you try to shove two characters together, and they're all like 'no...' It's momentously frustrating. Enough about my struggles, let's drag them together. I want them to be a couple before I start doing things, like reuniting Rhea with her father, and then there's the assassin that's out for Natalia's blood. So much to do, so little time. This is the morning after the last chapter ended.**

* * *

**No POV**

Natalia woke up to a warm hand on the small of her back and blinked sleepily, taking in the darkness of her room. _It's not even sunrise... what the hell?_ Daren smiled apologetically as his girlfriend rolled over to face him, the fires of hell burning in her violet eyes, "I just wanted to let you know I was going in to work today, beautiful. Don't kill me."

Natalia smiled sleepily, "Good to know, now let me sleep." Her boyfriend chuckled and leaned down to kiss her on the lips, "I'll see you later." She smiled against his lips, "alright, then, handsome." Talia then gave him a real kiss and sent him off to work on a high. _I love that man_, she thought happily as he shut her bedroom door behind him. She re-fluffed her pillow and settled in for some more rest...

*later that morning*

Rhea woke up to silence for the first time since they moved in with Daren. The girls were asleep, not up, begging her to turn on some cartoons, and apparently, Natalia was still in bed. It was after eight, so Daren had to be gone to work, and Jason and Lāori were most likely still asleep. She decided to go for a little walk, just to the bistro on the corner to get a baguette and a cranberry juice mixer for breakfast. It was one of her favorite foods, now that she had a choice of what she ate.

She grabbed the card Daren had given her, her key to the suite, and rolled out of bed. She put on some velour pink sweat pants, a grey thermal top, a lined jacket, and some black fur-lined _Ugg_ slides. Her hair was tucked into a crude ponytail, with loose curls hanging in her face. She brushed her teeth, washed the sleep out of her eyes and made her way out of the suite. She left a note for Talia and the girls if they woke up while she was gone beforehand.

The young woman rode the elevator down to the base floor and headed out into the cool, late December morning, relishing the warm rays of the rising sun as they slowly grew in intensity. She saw the bistro in the distance and picked up the pace, being careful of her surroundings. She noticed a black SUV with tinted windows pulled up at the curb outside of the bistro, and two very menacing looking men leaned up against the side. She looked down at her feet as she made her way inside, avoiding eye contact.

As the door swung shut, a hand came down on her shoulder, and she looked up into the cold, black eyes of a pale man with oily black hair, panicking slightly. He also had a scar running down the underside of his jaw, like someone had taken a serrated blade and deliberately ran the edge through his skin. He grinned at her, "one down; three to go." She frowned, _what the heck is he-_

"Sir, what are you doing?" The man seemed to remember his surroundings and jerked his head sideways, "I was just saying hello to my daughter."

"That's not your daughter, because she's _mine_."

Rhea's eyes widened, _no way_... She leaned around the strange man and stared into a very familiar pair of violet eyes, set into the face that starred in her dreams for many nights on end. Her father was here, and he didn't look too happy with the man that was holding onto her.

**(A/N: So... I scrapped that idea; the opportunity was too good, sue me.)**

"I suggest you leave the premises before I call the cops." Her father said in low, cool voice. He sounded like he'd do otherwise if the man didn't let her go. The man released her at once and headed back out to the SUV she'd seen at the curb. Come to think of it, she'd seen that SUV in front of the apartment building a lot, though she was certain that none of the men lived there.

"Rhea?"

She turned to face her father, blushing furiously when she realized the entire bistro was watching them, and took him in. He looked a great deal healthier and happier than he did while they were living in that dingy townhouse in the slums. His face glowed with life, and he smiled at her.

Nicholas took in the face of his only child with happiness and love. He'd missed her after all those years apart, and it made his heart sing to see her again after the time he'd spent apart from her, cleaning himself up. He could see a shadow of pain; a past misery, in her eyes and it worried him. Had something happened to her while they were separated? He immediately felt guilty for sending her off on her own like he had. He should've taken her to an orphanage.

"Daddy?" She whispered, looking at him with the hope of a child in her eyes. He nodded, opening his arms. She ran into them and burrowed her face in his chest, reveling in the love and affection she felt. Her father smelt wonderful, like what she supposed a father would smell like.

Nicholas hugged her small frame to his chest, stroking her hair and murmuring words of love in her ear. He couldn't believe he'd found her after all this time. Her body began to shake, and he realized she was crying. His arms tightened around Rhea, and he kissed the top of her head.

"Come on; let's get you out of here." Nick carefully picked his daughter up, surprised by how little she weighed, and carried her out of the bistro. Rhea laid her head on his shoulder and sighed contently. She felt safe for the first time in years. She managed to explain to him where she was staying, and handed him the key from her pocket. He bought something from the bistro before the left, presumably a box of pastries.

When they got back to the apartment, Natalia was the one to answer the door, and her jaw fell when she saw who was on the other side, "Uncle Nicky?" Nick's eyebrows met his hair line, "Talia?" she grinned and nodded. Rhea clambered out of his arms and went into the kitchen with the box of pastries.

The twins were in the living room, watching cartoons while Lāori sat on the sofa, sporting some wicked fresh-out-of-bed hair and still in her rumpled pajamas. She rubbed her stomach slowly while she watched the girls enjoy the television, excited at the prospect of having an angel of her own, one day.

She snapped back to reality when Baili and Belle noticed her and rushed over to her, "Mummy! Mummy!" Rhea laughed and knelt down to hug them both to her chest, pressing kisses to their foreheads and cheeks, "hi, sweet hearts."

"Where'd you go, Mummy?" Belle asked innocently, touching her mother's arm. Nicholas stood in the doorway to the kitchen, silently watching the exchange. "I went down to the bistro to get something." Rhea replied softly, "I was hoping you'd still be asleep when I got back."

"Baili wanted to watch TV."

"Hey, you did too." Baili huffed at her twin, and the two of them dissolved into the cutest little giggles. Rhea laughed along with them and kissed both of them on the forehead, "go back and watch the cartoons. I'll make you something to eat." Both girls nodded eagerly, kissed her on the cheeks, and rushed back to reclaim their spots on the floor, squealing as they went.

"They're adorable."

Rhea jumped; her hand half way into the pastry box. Her father chuckled at her suspense, "I didn't mean to scare you, Rhea." She rolled her eyes at her paranoia and grabbed a cheese Danish and went to the drawers for a knife, "I'm just paranoid like that, I guess." The conversation faded into awkward silence, and both father and daughter wondered what to say to fill the air.

"Who was that guy I saw grabbing you, down at the bistro?" Nick asked at last, truly curious. "I... I don't know. He was... he was a little weird. I think he might've had a mental illness, because I didn't recognize him." Rhea said softly, her hand moving to the shoulder that the man had grabbed. She didn't feel safe when she remembered how frigid and cold his eyes were. An involuntary shiver ran down her spine, and her father started towards her, "Rhea-"

"I'm fine." Rhea managed to say, a false sense of security in her voice, "just... he was a bit... a bit scary up close." _That scar..._ she shuddered again and caught herself before she nicked her hand while cutting the Danish for the girls. The strange man had set off all her alarms and warning bells, and she couldn't turn them off.

"So, they're your girls?" she nodded, "they're twins. About to turn four really soon." A smile of motherly pride formed on Rhea's lips. A smile that instantly died when her father spoke again.

"Who's the lucky guy?" Nicholas asked softly, hoping to meet the father of his granddaughters. To his surprise, Rhea stiffened, and the knife slipped from her fingers to clatter on the granite counter. Natalia rushed into the kitchen and grasped her hands, pulling her around to face her, "sweetie, breathe. He's not here. I won't let him near you again, I swear. He can't hurt you anymore."

Nicholas' eyes widened in realization, and a deep frown settled on his face, "what's wrong with her?"

"Flashbacks she has from time to time, when she's caught off guard." Natalia told him quietly, "if you talk to her and comfort her, she'll come out of it."

Rhea's eyes were glazed and blank, and tears began to trickle down her porcelain face. Natalia reached up and wiped the tears away, "you're safe now. No one can hurt you again." Rhea blinked her eyes clear of tears, "Natalia?"

"I'm right here, sweetie." The blonde squeezed her cousin's hands, "come on. Come back, now." Rhea closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of pure suffering, "four years, and I still can't get rid of those flashbacks..." Natalia cupped her face, "it's alright. These things take time." Rhea shook her hands away and looked over at her father, looking for any sign of rejection because of her episode.

Nick smiled lovingly at the tortured young woman and pulled her into a hug, "why do I get the feeling that you think I'm about to turn you away?" Rhea shrugged in his arms, "Because I'm weird." His fingers laced through her hair, "you're not weird. You've just been through something rough. Everyone has demons, though some are worse than most."

_My demons are horrible_, Rhea silently tacked on, still ensconced in her father's arms. She never wanted to leave, not now, not ever. Her father didn't seem to be able to let her go, either.

"When?" He asked softly, and she knew immediately what he meant. "I was seventeen. He was a drunkard." She replied numbly, and then, with force, "can we talk about something less... depressing?" Nicholas nodded and kissed her forehead, "anything you'd like."

"Where've you been? That's seems like a good start as any." Rhea said immediately, leading the way back to her room. Along the way, she gave the girls their Danish halves and a glass of chocolate milk, smiling at their exuberance. She opened the door to her room and let him in before closing the door behind herself.

"I didn't go into rehab until two years ago, and your mother went in about six months after I did." Nicholas began to tell her the story immediately, "it was harder for her because she's been on the crap longer than me, but she's coming around."

_Oh, is she now?_ Rhea thought bitterly, still stuck on the beatings and screaming matches they'd have when she was a child. Nick noticed the shadow in her eyes and shook his head, "she'd like to see you... but she understands if you don't want to see her."

"Can you blame me?" Rhea asked, incredulous, "Dad, she used to hit me and make me steal to support her addiction. How can you possibly expect me to just up and forget all of that?! That's haunted my dreams since I got separated from you, almost as much as..." she trailed off, shaking her head, "Never mind. I don't think I could handle seeing her face to face."

"She said she understood, sweet heart, no need to get worked up. She's incredibly sorry for what she'd done." Nicholas took a seat on the bed, looking up at her.

"How can she understand when she's not me?" Rhea muttered under her breath, and then louder, "I'll come to see her when I feel comfortable with it. Until then, I'm not going near her."

"So you're not coming home, then?" Her father asked morosely, and she instantly felt bad for doing this to him. She knew that he loved both her and her mother deeply, but she... she didn't want to come home, only to find out that the drug dependency was all a ruse, and her mother had hit her for her own enjoyment. _I'm being paranoid, but I just can't... it doesn't feel right_.

Paranoia had become an integral part of her personality ever since she'd been raped, and it wasn't showing any signs of vacating anytime soon. Nothing _ever_ sat right with her; it was an unavoidable part of being a rape victim, and she'd accepted that.

"I guess not." She said softly, looking down at her feet. _Inability to make eye contact... another casualty_. She still felt horrible, just standing there, staring at her toes like a spurned child, but she was too scared to look up and see the disappointment and sadness in his eyes.

A warm hand gently cupped her chin and pulled it up so she'd have to look into his violet eyes. A soft smile was at the corner of his lips, "It's alright... as long as I can visit." Rhea smiled and nodded, "that'd be fine."

_I'll have to work up the courage to return the favor, though_.

*lunch time* **(noon)**

Rhea peered out of the window and stared down at the street in front of the apartment building, simply watching the cars and people go by. To her surprise and curiosity, the black SUV from the morning was still at the curb, only now it was in front of the building, and the three men were leaned up against. Staring up at her. She stifled a gasp and moved away from the window; frightened by the look on their faces. It was almost predator-like.

Natalia glanced over at her cousin, noting the accelerated rise and fall of her chest, and the wideness of her eyes. They looked exceptionally large, even for their size. She dropped the sandwich she'd been eating and called her name, "Rey?"

"Hm?" Rhea looked; more like jerked, over at her, one brow cocked. "What's wrong with you? Why are you so jumpy?" Talia inquired, moving away from the table, where the twins were playing with the crusts from their sandwiches.

"No reason." The mother answered; a bit too fast and knee-jerk than she'd have liked. Natalia had now made her way over to where she was sitting on the window seat and peered out of the window to see what she'd seen.

"Those guys have been loitering in front of the building for the last few days." Talia said softly, subtly watching the three men. They were watching the crowds of people pass by, scrutinizing them in a similar manner that a hunter would with their prey. She didn't like the looks of it... and that's when she remembered.

"Hey... Rhea?"

"Hm?" Rhea looked up at her cousin, who now looked very worried. "Remember when Laria and Larkin mentioned that my aunt was orchestrating my death?" Talia asked; softly so the children wouldn't overhear. "Yes... _oh kami_, you think those are the people she hired? One of them grabbed me when I was at the bistro, but Dad scared him off." Rhea's eyes were wide, "what the hell do we do?"

"I don't know... I'm going to call Daren." Talia slid off of the seat and made sure the blinds were closed shut before going to get her phone from her bedroom. There was a loud knock at the apartment door. Rhea cautiously got off of the seat and went to go see who it was.

"Who is it?" she called, too short to peer through the eye hole. _I should've grabbed a chair_.

"Room service." A male voice called back, and a frown formed on her face. Apartment buildings didn't offer room service; that she was sure of. Natalia came back in the main area of the apartment, still talking to Daren.

"Ask Daren if there's room service here." Rhea hissed. Natalia did as she asked, and then shook her head in the negative, "he said no." Rhea frowned, "there's some guy at the door, offering room service."

"Let me see." Natalia moved past her cousin and peeked through the eye hole. The man standing in the hall was very buff, with dark, nondescript hair and eyes, and a scar on his collar bone. He wasn't even wearing the uniform that the people working in the main office and the lobby always wore. Moreover, he didn't look like he belonged.

"Call security. Tell them to come up to the top floor." Talia said at last, and then louder, so the guy would stay, "just a minute!" Daren, who was still on the line, asked, "_What the hell? If he was smart, he would've realized that this was an apartment building, not a hotel._"

"Well I can't blame him; this place looks nice enough to be a hotel." She whispered back, watching as Rhea dialed the security number, quietly conversing with the security staff. She hung up the phone and nodded, "they said they'll be up here in five minutes."

"Hold on, please sir, I'm not exactly decent right now!" Natalia stifled a giggle as she said this, knowing the guy was about to get busted. "I don't mind waiting." The guy called back; in a slightly perverted voice, and she shuddered in disgust. _Kami, I used to sleep with guys like him to pay the bills... it was necessary, but what the hell was I thinking_?

"What the hell!"

Both women bit their lips to muffle their giggles as the man was apprehended by security... and then cried out as two gunshots rang out. The girls, who'd been watching cartoons, screamed and ran for their mother, who held them close, watching the door with wide eyes.

Lāori emerged from the bathroom, her eyes wide, "what the hell was that?" Jason came up behind his wife and began to guide her into their room, "come on, Lei, we need to get away from the door." Rhea grabbed Natalia's hand as a third and fourth shot rang out, "come on, Talia, get away from the door." She nodded, and they herded the girls into the room with Jason and Lāori.

*outside*

"That trigger-happy moron is going to ruin the whole operation." Silas huffed, listening to the maelstrom through his headset, "I knew Manse couldn't be trusted with something this delicate." The two men on either side of him chuckled and started to get back into the car, "the police are coming."

"Yes, let's make ourselves scarce. Manse can take the fall for his mistakes." Silas got into the driver's seat, "That crazy bitch won't be happy when she sees this on the news." With an eye roll, he started the car and casually pulled into traffic, just as the police rolled up on the scene.

*At CC*

"Natalia, what happened? _Natalia_?!" Daren yelled into the phone, frustrated with the lack of an answer. Suddenly, her voice came into the line, "Daren?" He breathed a sigh of relief, "Talia, what's going on?"

"_That guy who was supposed to be some so-called room service. The security came up here to take him away, and then the shooting started. I heard four shots_." Natalia replied, somewhat shakily, "_It's quiet out there. Jason made us hide in the closet, and Lāori's freaking out_."

"Alright, try to calm her down. She just made seven months, and it wouldn't be good if she made herself go into early labor." Daren told her softly, very much aware of the eyes on him. Goten, Uub, Marron, Pan, and Trunks were watching him, confused about the situation.

"Man, what's going on?" Goten asked softly. "Some guy was trying to get into the apartment. Rhea called security, and when they got there, the guy started shooting. They don't know what's going on now." There was a shot over the line, and then the sound of the door slamming open.

"_Jason just came back into the closet. I think he shot the lock off of the door..._" Natalia whispered, "_Daren, I need to tell you something._"

"Talia don't talk like that. It's gonna be okay." Daren warned; his eyes stinging with unshed tears. "_Daren, I love you._" She said firmly, "_I always have._" His heart dropped into his shoes when he heard a door slam open, this one distant, "Talia, I love you, too."

Pan's eyes widened and Marron began to cry silently, realizing what was going on. Uub pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead while whispering comforts. Trunks wrapped and arm around Pan and buried his face in her hair. Goten was on the verge of blasting through the roof and heading over to Daren's apartment himself, his eyes wild with protective anger.

"_Freeze! Drop the weapon!_" Daren breathed a relieved sigh as the sound of the police came over the line. "_Oh, kami... oh my kami..._" Talia kept whispering the words like a mantra, thanking the powers that be for the police.

"I'm coming down there right now." Daren said softly, and then, noticing the people standing around him, "we all are." Everyone shot into action, rushing to grab keys and other things. Goten was too keyed up by all the action, and nudged his niece, "we're flying, let's go." Pan nodded in agreement, and the two of them headed to Trunks' office to use his escape window.

"Need a lift?"

Daren looked at Trunks curiously, "you mean like... _flying_?" He nodded, "of course, how the hell else are we going to beat the traffic that the news trucks will cause?" Uub and Marron were also headed for the president's office to use the window. Pan and Goten were already long gone.

"Fine." Daren nodded and followed his boss. "Speak of this to no one." Trunks warned, grabbing Daren around the waist before stepping out of the window and launching into flight before anyone could see him. _Wouldn't dream of it..._ Daren thought, nauseated, _I wouldn't wish this on anyone_...

*at the building*

Pan, Goten, Marron, and Uub were waiting in the back lot when Trunks arrived with a visibly disturbed Daren. Goten kept bouncing from one foot to the other, his eyes bright with anxiety. Pan watched his behavior with close scrutiny, _hmmm... I think someone has a crush..._

Daren finally shook off the distortedness that flying at break neck speed through the clouds has caused and led the way into the building. When they came to the emergency stairs, Pan grasped the back of his shirt and phased to the top floor, "hey, you normal human beings are kind of slow."

Daren sighed and opened the door that led to the hall where his pent house was. The hall was full of staff, police, security, and ambulance attendees. The man who'd done all the damage was sitting against the wall, cuffs on his wrists, with two policemen standing watch. He ignored it all; his eyes were only for one person, and he couldn't see her. Ignoring the calls of the police, he rushed into the apartment.

"Daren!" a blonde projectile slammed into his chest and clung to him tightly. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and peppered her face in kisses, murmuring his love for her feverishly. Talia sobbed into his chest and clung to him like no tomorrow.

Rhea spotted Goten coming through the doorway and stood up from the sofa, making her way over to him. The twins had tired themselves out, and were asleep in Lāori and Jason's room, the former keeping an eye on them. The frazzled young mother stumbled over the tipped over furniture as she made her way to him, "Goten..."

Goten understood her need and opened his arms. She went into the readily, pressing her face into his chest and inhaling deeply. _His scent... oh kami, his scent_... she wanted to stay there, in his arms forever, surrounded by his strong, safe arms, and his wonderful scent.

_She's so tiny... and soft..._ Goten mused, wrapping his arms around her. He was careful not to hold her too tight, remembering her tendency to freak when she was too constricted. His fingers laced themselves into her hair, and he found himself stroking the silky curls in a slow, soothing manner. Her warm breath melted through his shirt, right above his heart; which was fluttering wildly in his chest.

"Goten, I don't want to let go." Rhea told him, her voice barely a whisper. He kissed the top of her head cautiously. She stiffened for a moment, and then relaxed into him once more. "Then don't." he breathed, still stroking her hair.

Pan nudged Marron as she fielded off the police and news reporters, "do you see what I see?" she asked, gesturing towards Rhea and Goten. Marron nodded, "I believe your uncle still has game." Both of them giggled softly, and then Pan sighed, "I hope she doesn't do him bad like Bra did." Marron shook her head, "she doesn't have that kind of vibe. She's too innocent to do something like that." Pan nodded in agreement, "I talked to her at lunch the other day. She's very sweet and kind. I think they'd make a cute couple. You?" Marron sighed dreamily, "I'm just happy that Bra didn't cause any lasting damage."

_Speaking of which... Bra and I will have to talk some time..._ Pan wasn't looking forward to that day, but she knew it would have to happen. She wasn't the only one who'd been hurling insults, after all. The two had a lot to re-hash and work through, as well as some re-discovery of one another.

_I'm willing to make up, but I refuse to make nice with Juunanago_, Pan thought; fielding off yet another reporter by hinting at her mystery wedding date. It was, after all, the bane of the media's existence. They couldn't figure out when the ceremony was taking place, and Pan just liked to tease and irk the reporters with open ended responses to their questions.

Goten sat on the sofa, with Rhea in his lap, seemingly attempting to hide herself with his body. She could feel some kind of breakdown coming on, and the tears were coming in endless waves. She felt horrible for staining Goten's shirt with her tears, but he didn't seem to mind, instead whispering comforts. It felt good to release all of the stress and anxiety after holding it back for the sake of her daughters.

Trunks smirked at the sight of his best friend cuddled up with the small woman on the sofa, and nudged Uub, "You think they're gonna be something?" The Majin nodded, "I'll give it two to three months." The son of Vegeta frowned, "I say one to two months; two and a half at the most." Uub laughed, "Want to put a wager on-"

"Uubu Majuubi, you'd better not be betting on Goten's relationship." Marron hissed, hitting her husband upside his head, "you are incorrigible, I swear." Pan laughed as she glided to her fiancé's side, "and I hope you aren't encouraging him, Mr. Briefs."

"No, my mirai Sayiajin no Hime, I'm not." Trunks crooned, playing on one of his secret nick names for her to get her off his case. Pan wasn't swayed, "nice try, Sayiajin no Ouji, but no amount of sweet talking will help you. No betting on Goten; he's your best friend, not an object."

"Jeez, Pan, you make it sound like I'm purchasing a slave."

"No, Trunks, that's just your bad hearing playing up."

Trunks pouted and Pan giggled, pressing her face into his forearm. Marron and Uub shared a laugh in the saiyan prince's expense.

*meanwhile*

Natalia curled into Daren's side as they lay on his bed, waiting for the police and medics to leave. Talia had calmed down considerably, and was simply lying in his arms, playing with a loose button on his shirt. Daren would lean down periodically to kiss her forehead. She inhaled deeply, watching the button shine in the different angles of light.

"Mio amore, I meant what I said on the phone. It wasn't in the heat of the moment." Daren began randomly, looking down at the top of her blonde head. she'd stilled, and he knew she was listening. "I fell in love with you when we danced that night... you looked like an angel come down from heaven in that dress... and your hair kept falling in your eyes..."

"Mama said she didn't pin it exactly right."

"Hm?"

"My hair. Mama was taking it down that night, and she said that the pin was all wrong." Talia said softly, though her mind was in the past, "she was OCD like that." She sighed in memory, "I fell in love with you that night, too. You really know how to sweep a girl off their feet, don't you?"

Daren chuckled and shrugged, "I guess so. My mother teased me all night about how my eyes would scan the dance floor for you after our dance." Talia nodded, "mine did, too. Daddy was a little annoyed with it, though. He wasn't ready for me to grow up and start liking boys. I think he would've liked you, though."

"I'd imagine him being overprotective of such a precious jewel." Daren chuckled, running a finger down the edge of her face, "I know I would be. Will be, I mean." She sighed happily and kissed the palm of his hand, "Guard me well, love." Talia clambered up onto her knees and leaned down to kiss him passionately, marking the end of their little conversation.

*later*

Rhea stood in the foyer of the pent house, saying her good byes to Goten and the others. She'd given her statement to the police, and now they'd all gone, giving her the peace she desired. She stared up into Goten's eyes unflinchingly. Her fear of eye contact was all but a faded memory, and she relished the feel of his gaze on her face.

"Goten, thank you so much." Rhea said softly, "I don't know how you do it, but you always seem to know what I need... and I barely know you."

"I guess it's a gift." Goten chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. Rhea giggled at the action, "You do that a lot." He shrugged, "It's a family thing. If you watch Pan long enough, you might see her doing it, too, even though she claims she's '_too sophisticated_' for it."

Pan, who was within hearing range, shot him a '_Chichi_' scowl, "Hey!" Rhea laughed again and smiled up at him, "I'm glad you came with Daren. I needed you, today, as weird as it sounds."

"Glad to be of service." An awkward silence settled over the two, and Rhea looked down at her shoes, suddenly shy and unsure of herself. Goten frowned; he didn't like it when she got insecure. emboldened, he reached out and gently raised her chin, so she was looking at him again.

Goten blushed, "Y-your eyes are too beautiful to be wasted on the ground. They deserve the appreciation that the ground can't give them." She smiled despite herself, a warm flush overtaking her cheeks, "t- thank you, Goten."

"You're welcome." He grinned, and then, as quickly as it came, it fell flat, "I've got to head back to mine." The son of Goku said softly, a morose tone in his voice. Rhea felt sad too, and a small frown formed on her face. Goten smiled softly, _she has the cutest frown_.

"When can I see you again?" Rhea asked softly. Goten shrugged, "ask Daren to get you a phone with my number in it, and then we can arrange something."

"Like a lunch date?"

Goten's eyes widened, and he started to say something to dissuade her assumption, but then he looked at her face. Her eyes were shining with eagerness, and she honestly seemed excited at the prospect of going out somewhere with him.

"If that's what you'd like." She grinned, and his eyes widened at how bright her smile was, "I'd like that a lot. I'll see you around, Goten."

"See you later, Rhea." He left the apartment, and, as soon as he was sure she'd shut the door, he did a few fist pumps as he made his way to the elevator. _I might have a date with one of the prettiest girls I've ever met... Go me!_

Rhea watched Goten's little display from her perch on a chair by the door, peering through the eye hole. A fit of giggles overtook her as she watched his little victory dance. _I'm glad I grabbed a chair this time_, she thought to herself, watching the doors close behind Goten's tall form.

_I can't wait for our... our date..._

* * *

**YAY! I finally did it! Daren and Natalia finally admitted their feelings, and I pushed Goten and Rhea together. I'm kinda starting to regret giving her kids, though, because I have to make sure they're included where the should be, and it's getting irritating.**

**Anyways, how suspenseful was this chapter, on a scale of 1 to nail-biting, hair pulling, eye ball clawing? Lol, just let me know how you liked it. Much love, SukiChan12^-^**


	11. Urto

**By technicality, this is chapter ten. Ten chapters in just under a month, if I'm not mistaken. Go me! I want this chapter to be relatively stress-free, compared to the others, but hey, this is Streghe Vita, nothing is stress free in this fic. This is that night, and then we're going to skip for a week.**

* * *

**No POV**

Mavis carefully dialed a number and bit her lip, waiting for the person to pick up. Her blue eyes flittered down to her nails, and she looked them over curiously. _Perhaps it's time for a new manicure. Red seems like a good color... maybe I'll go get my nails done before the Winter Gala..._

"_Hello_."

"Oh, _hello_, Silas. I thought you'd forgotten how to work a phone for a second. You know I was watching the news today. Some idiot shot up the top floor hallway of the La Vita Nova apartment building. You know, the hall way where that Foster brat's pent house is located? Well, some dumb ass shot it up, and wounded a few security guards. I wonder why he was there... do _you_ know why?" Mavis asked innocently.

"_He was one of my... more inexperienced guys..._"

"Then why the _hell_ did you send him in if he was so '_inexperienced_'!? Silas, what part of '_I want them dead_' don't you get? Do I have to come over there and _show_ you how to plant a _fucking bullet_ in someone's _brain_!? It's not a fucking algebraic equation, you _incompetent ass_!" Mavis screamed, "get it right next time, before I rain hellfire on your parade, you degenerate retard!"

"_Yes, ma'am_." Silas said in reply, and Mavis smiled, "I guess I don't need to remind you that you're not the _only_ assassin I know, and it could be you with a bullet through the head instead of my darling nieces, brother, and future sister in-law. Don't fuck this up, Silas. Have a wonderful." She hung up the phone and cackled to no one in particular.

"That was rather motivational, mother." Mali crept out of the shadows, a cruel smile of her own on her lips. "Mali, come sit with your mother before I go to bed." Mavis patted the bed in front of her, and her daughter sank down on the bed, "I caught Larkin recording you conversation again the other night, but don't worry. I got rid of the device."

"Your brother has been bewitched by your cousin's charms. He thinks I should've left her the money. Your brother will see her for what she is soon enough. She is as much of a wretched spoilt whore as her mother before her." Mavis said, completely sure of herself, "how are you liking medical school? You deserve it more than that brat. Imagine her as a doctor. I did Satan City a favor by keeping her from finishing her last semester. Can't you just _imagine_ the trail of death she'd have left in her wake? It's _horrendous_."

"Medical school is wonderful, mother. I can't wait to get my license."

"Good, good, now, off to bed. We have to go shopping for the Winter Gala tomorrow." The mother and daughter kissed each other on the cheeks and Mali scampered off to her room for the night. Mavis grabbed three little blue pills from her night stand and knocked them back with a shot glass of Zzzquil, and then another before settling down to rest...

*a week later*

Daren was rudely awakened by the trill of his cell phone in his pocket, and then the realization that he wasn't alone in bed. After sharing a few passionate kisses, both he and Natalia had passed out after the movie date they'd had last night. She was cuddled into his side, snoozing peacefully. Daren smiled and leaned over to kiss her temple, only to be rudely interrupted by the cell phone. Talia whined and pressed her face into the pillow.

"Hello?" Daren asked with a yawn. "Good morning, sleeping beauty. Guess what today is?" Trunks asked sardonically. "My day off?" Daren snipped, looking down at his girlfriend lovingly, "mio amore and I were trying to sleep, before you interrupted us."

"Man, tomorrow's December 31st. What happens on December 31st every year?"

Daren shot up, "the Winter Gala. Oh, shit. I haven't even gotten measured for a tux..." Daren stilled so he wouldn't disturb Natalia, "I haven't even asked Talia to be my date..."

"Marron's taking the girls to get some dresses made; speed order from France. Make sure Rhea and Natalia are ready to catch a plane in fifteen."

"Alright, I'll- _fifteen_? Trunks, Talia is _dead_ to the world." Daren looked down, "never mind, she's waking up." Natalia sat up and shot him an annoyed look, "what's in fifteen minutes?"

"You're leaving for France in fifteen minutes to get a dress for the Winter Gala." She nodded and got up, shocking him. She laughed at his shocked face, "I was an heiress once. I know what goes on the day before a Gala. I'll get cleaned up and get Rhea up from bed. Would Goten happen to be going and need a date? I'm sure I can convince her. The promise of dressing up should do the trick."

"_Yes, Goten needs a date. Please, ask her._" Trunks begged, "_Thanks, Talia._" Daren smiled, "Trunks said thanks." Natalia winked and left the room to go wake her cousin.

Rhea moaned and looked up into the violet eyes of her cousin, "Tali, what is it?" Talia smiled softly, "There's this big dance thing tomorrow night, and Goten needs a date. Would you like to go with him?" Rhea frowned, "but... but I don't have a dress... How can I go if I don't have a dress?"

"Leave that part up to Pan and Marron. You just get up and dress comfy; we'll be gone for a while. Lāori and Jason won't mind watching the twins while you're gone." Natalia kissed her forehead, "think of it this way. It's your chance to dress up." Rhea nodded enthusiastically and rolled out of bed, excited for the day to come.

*fifteen minutes later*

Pan and Marron arrived at the apartment, dressed in sweats and thermal tops, toting breakfast and their travel bags. Pan smiled at Rhea and passed her a baguette and a cranberry juice mixer, "Talia said you like these." Rhea smiled in thanks and took the food, tucking it in her own travel bag. Talia did the same with her food, and looked up at Marron, "where to now?"

"Trunks and Daren are taking the guys to get their tux fittings in... and we're going to a private airstrip so we can get in and out of France as quickly as possible. Less time spent on customs." Pan directed firmly, on the phone with her fiancé.

Trunks said something else, and her face contorted into a frown, "I thought I told you to quit trying to shove us together. It won't help anything. I'll see you tonight, Trunks. _Alright_. Love you, too. Bye." She sighed deeply and looked at Marron, "Bra's meeting us at the airport. Apparently Madame Fashionista forgot about the Gala, too. How, I'll never know. Come on, ladies... let's get this over with."

*airport*

Rhea frowned, annoyed with her small gait as she struggled to keep up with Pan. The woman was almost as short as she, for crying out loud! _How does she move her legs so fast? Can she teach me how_? Rhea nearly tripped, but caught herself as the plane came into view. A tall, statuesque blue haired woman stood outside of the plane, waiting for them.

"Who's this?" Bra asked, as soon as Pan and Marron were in range. She thought that it would only be the three of them. Pan rolled her eyes before replying, "Daren's date, Natalia, and Goten's date, Rhea. They need dresses, too."

Rhea struggled to keep her head held high as the bluenette began to scrutinize her, taking in her every inch with those piercing blue eyes. Natalia noticed at once and snapped, "If you're done using your x-ray vision on my cousin, then I'd be glad to get on the plane. In case you haven't noticed, it's five in the morning, and we have a schedule to keep ahead of." Rhea breathed a sigh of relief as the bluenette looked away, clearly irritated.

"She's right, Bra, we _do_ need to leave. Didn't your mother teach you not to stare?" Marron inquired softly, looking at her sideways. Pan said nothing, simply brushing past both of them as she got on the plane. Both Marron and Bra knew her well enough to know that she was itching to let loose.

"Someone's out of character." Marron said blandly, and then followed Pan onto the plane. Natalia and Rhea followed Marron, and Talia shot Bra a weird look, "you're a strange one, aren't you?" Rhea said nothing and followed her cousin onto the plane.

Rhea knew that Goten and Bra had history. Every time she was mentioned in a conversation at lunch that day, the light in his eyes would dim, and the endless laughs and smiles he had on hand just seemed to deplete, as if on command. It became glaringly clear when the woman began looking her over; clearly trying to figure out what Goten had seen in her. Moreover, she knew that Bra had hurt Goten, and that; in her eyes, was unforgiveable. Goten was too good a man to be treated like dirt.

*France*

Rhea had finished getting the measurements for her gown and was wandering through the boutique, eyes wide and curious like a child in a new place. _Meme Isabelle's_ was definitely high end, and incredibly expensive. They were the only women in here, if that said anything.

"I bet you're wondering how much it must cost to get a dress from here." A cool voice said softly, "but I can tell you that it's out of _your_ range."

"What do you want?" Rhea asked, the force behind her question null and void. Bra looked the small woman over, "Just curious."

"Curious as to why Goten's with me when he had you at one point? I get the fact that I might not look half as good as you, but you don't have to shove it in my face. Don't you have a fiancé? Why do you care who Goten ends up with? He's not yours anymore." Rhea said, emboldened by Bra's cold demeanor.

"I never said he did, now did I? Let me guess; did Pan paint me out as the villain again and poison yet another pure mind?" Bra asked aloofly, though she was totally interested in her answer.

"I'd have to be a fool not to notice the way Goten reacts when he hears your name. I might not know what you did, but I have a basic idea. The scenario fits your personality, that's for sure. Pan never said anything about you and Goten to me." Rhea replied harshly.

"You've got fire in you, that's for sure."

"Well, when you've been through what I have, you have to have something." The mother of two shot back, "Not all of us lived the pampered, flannel life, Princess. Just because you have Goten before me, doesn't mean you can intimidate me. Don't be so full of yourself."

"I'm not trying to intimidate you. I'm just... seeing what that boy has got himself into. He can be a bit naïve." Bra said softly, as though reminiscing. Rhea didn't like the way her face softened when she said this, and her scowl deepened.

"_He had to be, to end up with you._" She hissed under her breath, and then, louder, "Well, you have your fiancé, and I have Goten. Yay for us, now if you'll excuse me; I'm sure my cousin is waiting for me." She turned on her and stalked away, leaving an impressed Saiyan Princess in her wake.

**(A/N: Bra was just testing her limits. It's something a lot of considerate ex-girlfriends will do for their ex-boyfriend when he gets a new girlfriend.)**

_I have Goten? Where'd that come from?_ She'd barely seen Goten in the past week since the shooting, but what few moments they did have were very dear to her. Time with Goten never be boring, no matter what they were doing.

Daren had gotten her a phone, and she was sure that the bill would be a nightmare, what with all the time she spent; talking to Goten on the phone each night and during his lunch breaks at work.

Rhea briefly wondered if this was what it felt like to be a normal, love sick teenage girl. Granted she wasn't a teenager, but she'd never really had a chance to see what it was like; being forced into motherhood at eighteen and then being homeless before then. What with her crude beginnings, she'd been robbed of a childhood and her teenage years as well; perhaps she was getting a chance to get it all back.

"... Earth to Rey. Hey, cuz, you in there?"

Rhea snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at her cousin and Pan, "Huh?" Both of the older women began to chuckle at her confused face, and Pan placed her arm around her shoulder, "we're going to get a bite to eat and look around for a bit, and then we'll come back to pick up our dresses. I, however, have to set up some hair and nail appointments back in Japan." She pulled out her phone and began dialing.

"Pan, you don't have to do that. This," Rhea gestured around herself at the exquisite boutique, "is too much as it is." Pan smiled, "I just wanted to do something nice for you two, you know, to welcome you into our little top secret club." Marron, who'd been walking up, scoffed, "_Top Secret_? Is that the best you can come up with for us?"

"Oh, like you can do any better." Pan snorted, and then smiled at Rhea and Talia, "we just wanted to let you know that you're very much welcome." Marron nodded, "you guys are on the inside, now. Isn't it great?" Talia laughed at their enthusiasm, "Thanks, you guys." Rhea nodded in agreement, "I'm going to figure out how to repay the both of you for this."

"Don't bother. If you do, I might have to kill you." Pan sniggered softly, "shall we? I think we should skip France entirely. I'm in the mood for Italian food, and we _do_ have a private jet on hand."

"Italian sounds awesome." Natalia nodded excitedly, and then blushed as her stomach rumbled loudly, confirming her hunger. "Pan, was that your monster of a stomach?" Marron teased, and Pan blushed deep red, "I can't help my genetics. Leave me alone."

"Eheh, it was mine." Natalia giggled shyly, and Rhea began to chuckle quietly at her cousin's expense.

"That's a sign we need to get out of here..." Pan trailed off as Bra came into the room, "we're going to get food in Italy, if you want some you can come along." The bluenette nodded once, and Pan led the way out to the car.

*later*

Pan plopped back into her seat on the plane, rubbing her full stomach, "Kami, that was pretty good." Marron fell out laughing at her friend, and Pan rolled her eyes, "I've learned by now that it's best to ignore you when you do that."

Rhea and Natalia took their seats, carrying their leftover containers along. They stored them in the overhead compartment and settled down for the flight back to France and then back home to Japan.

"The food was amazing... I've never had anything like it." Rhea said softly, and Natalia smiled at her, "now that you found your dad, you can have it as often as you'd like." Rhea nodded, "that would be awesome... but hell on my midriff."

"Hey, you had twins and you still look amazing. I don't think anything short of a _nuke_ could take out your midriff."

The cousins shared a laugh and buckled up as the plane prepared to go down the runway. Natalia smiled at her cousin, "I'm so excited to see you all dolled up. You're going to look amazing; Goten won't be able to keep his eyes off of you."

"Tomorrow night will be the first time I'm going to be known; face-to-face, as my dad's daughter. I'm not just _Rhea_ anymore." Rhea looked down, "It's crazy. I'm going from a homeless girl to an heiress in just a single night."

"You're scared aren't you?" Talia asked softly, "it's perfectly fine to be afraid. I've been doing it for most of my life, and I still get nervous and afraid right before events like this. This is my first time going to one of these in four years. If anything, _I'm_ going to be the one getting swarmed." Her purple eyes dropped to her lap.

"Hey, Daren's going to be right there with you. Don't be afraid." Rhea placed a hand on her cousin's arm. Natalia shot her a look, "you're amazing, you know that? This is your very first time going to a Gala, and you're telling _me_ to calm down. And you'll have Goten, so you have no reason to be afraid, either."

"I'm going to be Rhea Palladian as of tomorrow night."

"I'm going to be Natalia Palladian-Johansen; again, as of tomorrow night."

Their eyes met, and Rhea giggled nervously, "This is going to be crazy."

"You got that right, cuz." Talia settled in for the flight, "it shall be absolute mayhem."

*at the boutique*

"No peeking at zee dresses until tomorrow." Isabelle, the owner of the boutique, warned the girls as she passed them the garment bags that their dresses were in, "I want pictures, Ms. Son, and I expect you back here to get your wedding dress fitted. You too, Ms. Briefs."

"We'll be back, Isabelle, I assure you." Pan smiled as she held her garment bag, as well as a second one, "and thank you so much for making these on such short notice. You wouldn't mind if I paid double-"

Isabelle shook her head, smiling softly, "your presence is enough payment for me." She pinched Pan's cheek like a doting grandmother, "now, hurry along. You have a flight to catch." Pan gave the little old woman a hug and kissed her on the cheek, "I'll see you soon, Isabelle."

When they left the boutique, Natalia nudged her, "how long have you known her?"

Pan shrugged, "She designed Gala dresses for my mother when she was a teenager; and she did her wedding dress, and now, she designs mine as well. Mama says she's like her second mother, so she's kind of another Gramma for me. As a matter of fact," she gestured to the second garment bag, "this is my mother's dress."

"That's so sweet. Family tradition, huh?" Talia smiled sadly. She used to do this sort of thing with her mother when she was still alive, only their favored designer was in Greece, last she'd heard. The family of seamstresses had been designing dresses for the Palladian women since her great-great grandmother was still alive."

"I know that look." Pan whispered, "She wouldn't want you to be sad because she's gone. She'd want you to move on." Talia didn't need to be a psychic to know who Pan was talking about. She nodded once and slid into the back seat of the car.

*at the airport*

Rhea was pleasantly surprised to see Goten waiting for her on the airstrip when she got off of the plane with her dress in hand. She squealed like a child and ran the rest of the way down the stairs. Or tried to. Her foot caught on the third step from the bottom, and she went hurtling face-first towards the ground. She started to cry out, but her cry was muffled by a face full of a fabric covered chest.

"You should be more careful." Goten whispered, holding her carefully. She stared up at him silently, shocked by how fast he'd managed to move from his spot to the plane steps... and the fact that he was holding her so intimately and she didn't feel the need to escape. Goten brushed a loose black curl from her face and smiled softly, "are you alright?"

"Yeah... I guess I got a little too excited to see you." she quickly shut herself up before she spat out something a little more love-sick. Goten smiled that dazzling grin of his and helped her get upright, "be a little more careful on those steps next time." She nodded mutely, too dazzled by his smile to form a verbal response, and hugged the garment bag to her chest in an unconscious effort to slow the thundering beat of her heart against her ribcage.

"I give that dismount a ten."

The two of them made a bit more space between themselves, and Rhea shot a cool scowl at the culprit, "I give your attitude a negative infinity."

Bra rolled her eyes at the smaller woman and made her way towards the private terminal, "I have a date tonight." She deliberately brought her path near Rhea and Goten, her arm gently brushing against Goten's forearm as she went.

"You say that like we wanted to know." Rhea snipped, unconsciously placing her hand on the area on Goten's arm that Bra had touched. Goten, who'd been eyeing Bra, wondering about her strange behavior, looked down at Rhea, oddly touched by her possessiveness.

"Aren't you getting married in a few months?" Natalia asked coolly, "Because you sure don't act like an engaged woman."

Bra turned around and eyed Natalia diminutively, and then looked at Goten, "So, you're going to the Gala tomorrow, aren't you?"

Confused and bewildered, Goten could only nod, "Yeah... Trunks didn't tell you?" Bra giggled softly, "Save me a dance, will you?"

"All his dances are already booked. By _me_. His _date_." Everyone looked at the small woman, shocked silent by the malice running deeply in her tone. Her green eyes blazed with irritation, and her thin, black brows furrowed as she glowered at the blue haired Saiyan Princess.

"Mmhm, I can see that." Bra winked, "keep up the good work." Before Rhea could ask what she'd meant, the bluenette was gone, disappeared inside of the building.

"Don't mind her." Pan said softly, "I know exactly what she's doing, and it's only going to get harder." Rhea, who was still burning holes in the space of air Bra had vacated, looked at Pan with a frown, "what do you mean, you know? Make her stop, then."

"That's your job, not mine. If you do ask her, she'll only make things worse." The Son woman said softly, "I'm honestly shocked she even bothered, what with how she ended things. _She might still be the same after all._" The last bit was muttered under her breath. Pan smiled gently, "let's go home and relax. It's only four in the afternoon."

Goten gently grasped Rhea's hand, "I'll give you a lift." She smiled brightly at him and followed him to the main building. She was practically skipping with her joy. Natalia trailed after them, "Daren said he's waiting out front. See you guys tomorrow."

"I can't believe she's testing her. I must admit, I thought you would've done that." Marron told Pan as the two of them made their way to their own cars. "I've actually spent time with Rhea, and I didn't have a reason to, when I already know what kind of person she is. Bra, on the other hand, has not. She's just making sure that Rhea isn't going to pull a stunt like the one she pulled." Pan replied.

"So..."

"So we let her run her unnecessary obstacle course. I can already see that Rhea's going to surprise her _quite_ a bit." A small smirk wormed its way onto her face, "Rhea's going to show _her_ what kind of woman Goten _really_ needs."

"Something tells me that this is going to be interesting. Judging by how pissed Rhea got when Bra _touched _Goten, you might have to restrain her if Bra gets to dance with him tomorrow night."

_Tomorrow night is going to be very interesting, that's for sure_, Pan added silently, _I'm almost certain something bad will happen at the Gala_.

* * *

**And that concludes chapter ten. Eleven will feature preparation and the actual Gala itself, and might end up being split into two chapters, because a lot of heads will be clashing during the big party. Bra has become my catalyst to push Goten and Rhea together. That's what she's trying to do; by playing on Rhea's hidden tendency to become jealous, as well as testing her faithfulness to Goten. Feel free to scream at me. I'd wager that chapter eleven will be ready by late tonight, if I start right now, or tomorrow afternoon, because I like to sleep in.**


	12. Preparazione per una serata di Gala

**Alright, back to this. I just killed off Pan in one of my main stories, so I need a bit of happiness and drama to lift my spirits. Do me a favor and go read Fumetsu Mai. If you like romantic tragedies, then you won't be disappointed. Prepare your tissue boxes, though. Anyways, here we are, prepping for the Gala, which might get pushed back another chapter if I take the time to describe each and every dress. I usually do, because I like putting a clear picture in the heads of my readers. **_**Meh**_**. Let's get on with it.**

* * *

**No POV**

"Why are you freaking out? He's going to love you when he sees you in that dress. That _bitch_," Natalia mumbled under her breath, "won't stand a chance."

Rhea looked up from her breakfast and frowned at Natalia, "I don't even know what the dress will look like. I haven't peeked, and I don't plan to. How do you know I'm going to knock him dead?" Natalia shrugged and smiled cheekily, "because... have you _seen_ your figure lately. You are what most men would call a _MILF_."

A furious blush overtook Rhea's cheeks, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't include me and... _that_ in the same sentence. It's not going to happen. _Ever_." Natalia's smile turned apologetic, "I'm sorry for offending you. I just wanted to get my point across."

Rhea mumbled something under her breath and started pulling her baguette apart. Daren entered the kitchen, munching on a strawberry Danish, "good morning ladies." Talia smiled lovingly, "Good morning, handsome." Daren winked at her, and then looked at Rhea, "what's wrong, little bit?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Rhea said softly, reaching out to grab her cranberry juice mixer. She took a sip and started tearing her baguette apart again. Natalia shook her head at her cousin's antics, and then acknowledged her boyfriend, "she's freaked out about tonight. It's hilarious really."

"Quit telling all of my business, Rhea huffed. There was a knock at the door, followed by Marron's cheery voice, "it's spa time!" Pan's voice followed soon after, "Marron, you'll wake his neighbors."

"Panny, this is a penthouse suite. He _has _no neighbors."

"Shut up, Trunks."

Daren rolled his eyes and went to go answer the door. Marron and Pan stood side by side, toting their morning coffee, dressed comfortable for the day of primping ahead of them, while Uub, Goten, and Trunks just wore... whatever. Trunks wore a pink shirt that said '_Del-Rio_' and did _nothing_ for his hair. Pan had already told him so... multiple times.

**(A/N: Pan wears Trunks' Del-Rio shirt in A Dash of Fluff, while she's pregnant, even though it's a different AU.)**

"Eww, Trunks, your shirt." Talia said when the son of Vegeta entered the kitchen. "Thank you." Pan said, exasperated, "he just doesn't understand that pink and lavender don't mix."

"They do _too_ mix. That's where the color mauve came from." Pan gave him a strange look that was a bizarre mix between irritation, exasperation, and mental exhaustion. She made a choked noise at the back of her throat and turned away, "who's ready for a day at the spa? I know _I _am."

Rhea left the table and went to go give her favored person a hug. Goten smiled and opened his arms as she approached, sighing as her soft body came into contact with his muscled one. It was like a switch had been flipped after the shooting. Rhea was more open with him, and more open to him touching her. For this he was grateful, because he was a very huggy, touchy person.

"What are you doing today?" Rhea asked softly, looking up into his deep, midnight eyes. "Well, I'm getting a slight haircut, and then I'm going to head home and shower. You?" Goten smiled softly. "I'm going to get my hair and nails done, a massage, and then I'm going to go home and shower, and then get ready for tonight."

"Isabelle already told the tux guy what color we're wearing so you guys can match us." Pan told Trunks, "So it won't be a repeat of last year." Talia giggled, "What happened last year?"

"Purple nurple here went with a lime green tie and vest, while Pan's dress turned out to be midnight blue. It was a disaster." Uub laughed, "I tried to tell him otherwise, but he wouldn't listen."

"Enough of last year. Can we get this show on the road?" Marron grabbed Rhea's hand, "you two can flirt all you want tonight, but right now, you can't see each other until the big reveal." And then dragged the small brunette out of the apartment. Pan and Natalia followed, giggling at Rhea's expense.

*in the car*

"You act like they're getting married, Maz." Pan laughed as she slid into the driver's seat. She turned to look at Rhea, "we've done things like this for years, now, so get used to it. It's the life of an heiress." Natalia looked at Marron, "I didn't know you were an heiress."

"My Grampa Satan added her into the will because he's a sucker for cute little girls such as ourselves. She's like a second granddaughter to him." Pan supplied the explanation, shooting a smile at her friend, "he used to babysit us when we were little. Marron's basically family because my other Grampa and her dad go way back."

"Written in the stars." Marron said dreamily, and then went into a fit of laughter. Pan joined her, and soon the car was filled with giggles. They were still laughing when they pulled up to the spa, and Talia happened to look out of the window. Her laughter faded, and she sobered up, "you have _got_ to be fucking kidding me."

The one and only Mavis Palladian was leaving the spa, trailed by her lapdog of a daughter, Somalia, and Laria. The latter looked for all the world like she didn't want to be there, while Mali walked arm-in-arm with her mother, laughing and gossiping like teens.

"Poor Laria. I'd hate to have a mom like that." Marron commented.

Talia's fists clenched, itching to swing at her smiling Aunt's face. Her mind was swimming with memories of herself, begging and pleading one her _knees_ for her Aunt to help her. The harsh sting of rejection felt as fresh as it did four years ago.

Rhea noticed the look of abject rage on Talia's face and grasped her hands, "Talia, it's in the past. Let it go." Her jaw clenched as her purple eyes met Rhea's green ones, and she took a deep breath. Pan glanced in the back seat, "Hey, I don't mind hitting her for you. Even if I'm _seen_ doing it, I can't go to jail; the police are indebted to my parents, after all."

Marron giggled, "But they don't know that your father was Saiyaman." Pan shrugged, "I can throw around my Grandfather's last name, and my mother's good deeds and get away with it."

"Don't bother. She's not worth it." Talia said at last, "let's just go on in, get waxed, buffed, shined, and polished so we can look absolutely amazing tonight." Rhea nodded, "that sounds like a better idea then possibly getting arrested, doesn't it, Pan?"

"Hey... it's an option." The Son said, shrugging. The girls shared a laugh as they got out of the car and headed inside.

*later*

Natalia waddled out of the spa like a penguin, swearing softly with each step. Rhea followed her, tsk'ing at her predicament, "you're the one who went for the Brazilian." Natalia shrugged, "I was planning on a special night."

"They used lavender oil on you, so the pain should be dulled enough by tonight. If not, you can kiss those _special_ plans good bye." Pan warned, winking. "You got waxed, too." Talia said softly, and Pan shrugged, "I'm used to this routine, because this isn't the only Gala I have to go to all year. When you get back into the groove of things, you'll get used to it, too."

"I guess..." Talia trailed off, still thinking about tonight's plan. She'd gone to a gynecologist sometime during the last week to check herself for any unwanted bugs. To her surprise, after four years of prostitution, she was clean, and still fertile to boot. Maybe making her customers use condoms had worked in her favor. She wanted to be able to give herself to Daren without worrying about giving him anything, and now she could.

Pan chuckled softly to herself; _my secret is a crushed senzu bean in my water, hehe_. She came forward and gently helped Natalia slide into the backseat and handed her a cool water bottle, "in case you get thirsty."

Natalia took the bottle and took a swig, grateful for the cool liquid. She hadn't had a chance to get anything to drink between her massage, mani-pedi, eye brow threading, and the other stuff she got done. Needless to say, she was now hairless everywhere on her body; save for her head and eyebrows.

Her nails were done with deep purple rounded tips, complete with white filigree at the edges, and an amazingly detailed butterfly at the middle, done in silver and black polish. There was a very thin layer of silver glitter on top of the artwork.

Rhea wasn't nearly as extreme as the others. Instead of a wax, she opted for a less painful shave in the places that would be showing; using hair removal gel and irritation cream instead of hot wax and oil.

Her nails gleamed with white tips, painted over with a silver and black stripe and overlaid in silver glitter. The manicurist had also done some flower filigree on her nails with sparkling white polish. Her toes matched, minus the tips, of course.

Marron's nails were a pale pink that complemented her blonde hair. Her tips had little green bows glued to their surfaces, complete with a gold piece at the middle of the bow. Instead of a blatant sparkle, her nails had a faint shimmering sheen to them, just a few shades lighter than her polish color, and more iridescent.

Pan's nails were a jet black with a dark blue reflex, much like the new highlight job she'd had done to her hair. The surface was decorated with silver polish in the form of swirls at the edges and a sparkling white snowflake in the middle. Her tips were square in shape, and her middle fingers had sparkling jewels on them, rather than the decoration. Her toes matched, just minus the jewels.

"Now what? We've got quite a bit of time to kill until the Gala. It's only twelve." Rhea said softly, looking to the head honchos in the front seat.

"we're going to eat lunch with my and Marron's mother, and my grandma, and then we're going to get our make-up done together." Pan supplied, and then pulled out her phone to call her father.

"_Panny?_"

"Uh... Papa, did you get Grampa measured for his tux?"

"_It took a while; he kept trying to run off to go spar with Vegeta, but we got him measured. Vegeta kept egging him on, so he didn't help much._"

"Well, that's the Prince for you." Pan said with a snigger, barely stopping herself from saying the word 'saiyan'. She just hoped that her referring to Veggie as Prince wouldn't arouse any suspicion.

"_What are you up to?_"

"We're meeting Mama, Grandma, and Auntie Juu at Xiao's for lunch." Pan supplied, smiling, "and I can't wait to see how cute you and Mama look together at the Gala."

In the backseat, both Natalia and Rhea began to giggle quietly. They'd met Pan's father before, and knew he was prone to easily blushing whenever someone brought up his relationship with Videl. Both of them knew, without a doubt, that he was blushing right now.

"_Panny..._" Pan laughed at the embarrassment in his voice, "alright, alright, I'll leave you alone. Love you, Papa."

"_I love you, too, Panny. Have fun._"

"Bye, Papa." Pan hung up the phone just as she pulled into the parking lot of Xiao's.

Videl, who'd been getting out of her car, spotted Pan pulling in and waved. An older woman that shared a lot of resemblance with Pan stood next to her; and, on her other side, stood a curvy woman with short, blonde hair; cut in a bob, and sharp, icy blue eyes.

"Is that your _mother_, Marron?" Talia asked, bewildered, "I thought she was your older sister." Marron shrugged, "My mom just has really good genes... you could say."

Her face went dark as she remembered exactly _how_ her mother had gotten to be the way she was. She didn't regret being born, but she wished the circumstances leading up to her birth could've been different. Marron knew that each day it hurt her mother to watch her father grow older while she remained youthful and vibrant. Her facial expression never betrayed it, but her eyes told a different story that Marron was all too familiar with.

Pan patted Marron on the arm and gave her a sympathetic look, "you can't change the past." She whispered. Marron nodded once and replaced her frown with a small smile as she got out of the car and went to go greet the older women.

"Mom, this is Rhea and Natalia." Marron said softly. Juuhachi pulled her daughter into a gentle hug and kissed her forehead, "it's good to see you, Marron." Marron smiled and kissed her mother on the cheek, "it's good to see you, too, Mom. What's Dad up to today?"

Juuhachi shrugged, "I haven't the slightest. He left this morning with Goku. _Men_." Marron giggled and went to hug her Aunt Videl and; by preference of the woman herself, Granny Chichi. It was a bit strange, since Goku told her to call him Uncle, but it was what Chichi wanted.

Rhea stood on the sidelines with Talia, feeling a bit out of place as Marron and Pan greeted their mothers and grandmother. She didn't want to intrude, even though she felt a smidgen of jealousy as she watched them smile, kiss, and hug.

Chichi noticed the small, diminutive woman standing on the sidewalk with her arms tightly wrapped around her torso, looking sad and dejected, and a frown wormed its way onto her face. If memory served her correctly, this was the woman Goten had described to her over dinner. She pulled away from Pan and walked over to her.

Rhea's eyes widened, _why's Pan's grandma coming over here?_ She straightened up and wiped the sad look off of her face as Chichi closed the distance... and pulled her into a hug. Her green eyes were wide as the woman's arms wrapped lovingly around her. After a moment of shock, she melted into the embrace and hugged Chichi back.

"You looked like you needed a hug, darling." Chichi told her softly as she pulled away, looking her over, "so you're the girl that's gotten my son all worked up? I haven't seen him this happy since he'd started dating Bra."

The mention of Bra made Rhea's mood dampen slightly, and she had to force the frown from her face as Chichi's face creased into a scowl, "I knew there wasn't anything good that could come of her. Call mother's intuition. Speaking of mothers," Rhea winced as Chichi's face became neutral, "you have twins?"

"Yes, ma'am, I have twin three year old girls." Rhea told her softly. Chichi nodded and pulled her aside as the others went inside, "I don't mean to pry, but you don't strike me as the type that would end up a teenage mother. You seem to have a very good head on your shoulders, dear." Rhea blushed, "It... the circumstances were a bit..."

"You don't have to explain it to me if it's uncomfortable for you talk about. If you need someone to talk to, I don't mind being that person. It all depends on you, though." Chichi smiled and pinched her cheek as if she were her granddaughter, "you're a very sweet girl. Perfect for Goten, rather than those dreadful city girls."

"Mrs. Chichi, I actually _am_ a city girl." Rhea said with a small giggle. Chichi's eyes widened, "well, I didn't mean you, dear. You carry yourself far more respectfully than the riff raff he used to bring home. You have the manners of a country-raised girl. And just call me Chichi. '_Mrs_.' makes me sound so old."

"Alright, M- err, Chichi."

"Come along now." Chichi wrapped an arm around Rhea's shoulder, "the others will order without us if we stay out here any longer." The two women headed inside, laughing and talking about another, lighter subject.

*later*

"All our dresses and things we'll need are at the hotel where the Ball is to be held. Trunks secured all of the suites for all of us, so we should have enough room. I hope none of the other business attendees are too mad." Pan announced as they approached the place where they'd be getting their make-up done, "the other corporations can suck it because CC kicks their asses a billion times over, and it's our turn to host the Gala this year."

"Isn't there a sort of tradition for the hosting company?" Natalia asked, "I heard that you have to wear silver and white, as the hosting couple." Pan sighed wearily, "I look fan-freaking-tastic in silver, and Trunks is pretty sexy in a white tux, so I think we're good. I know for a fact that Isabelle was aware, and made sure the tux maker knew to give him a white tux."

"It could be worse." Videl giggled, "If this were the Summer Solstice Gala, you two would be stuck wearing bright green and sunshine yellow."

"If it were the Vernal Equinox Ball, you'd be in pastel colors. You two could pull off some pastel blue... right?"

"If anyone brings up the Autumnal Equinox Ball... I will _murder_ them. I _can_ pull off red and orange, but my fiancé cannot. His hair truly inhibits his clothing hue options."

Marron began to giggle, "You looked so uncomfortable that year." Pan looked down, hiding a bright red blush with her hair.

"What happened?" Rhea asked, truly curious. Marron sidled up to her and Talia, "The colors for the Autumnal Equinox Ball; the hosting couple, that is, are red, orange, and gold. Isabelle designed this gorgeous gown for Pan. it was a strapless A-line gown with a sweetheart neck line. The skirt was made out of red, brown, and burnt orange fabric, made to look like leaves, with a sparkling gold glitter at the skirts edges. Pan looked stunning. Trunks... did _not_. His lavender hair did him in."

"Leave my fiancé alone!" Pan yelled at her friend, who only laughed harder at her indignant cry. Rhea began to giggle softly, and Pan pulled her away from Marron, "she'll only corrupt you." everyone burst into giggles as they entered the makeup parlor, only to freeze as two individuals approached them. Rhea's face set into a scowl, and her cousin moved closer to her.

Bra stood in front of them, makeup freshly applied, looking like she'd walked straight out of the front page of _Vogue_. Her cerulean hair had been accented with small, barely noticeable white highlights. The overall effect was stunning, making her hair look like gently rippling ocean waves with sunlight glinting off of them.

Beside her stood a nearly identical woman, only older, and her hair was a few shades darker. Rhea assumed it was her mother, as the woman was just as; if not more beautiful than the spoilt princess that stood beside her.

Pan bit back a groan of irritation as Bra's eyes fell to the linked arms of herself, Marron, Rhea, and Natalia. _You make being nice to you so hard, Blue... You certainly haven't gained the right to be jealous over Marron and I befriending someone else. Those are points you have to earn_.

"Bra, you remember Rhea, don't you?" Marron asked pleasantly, "You know, _Goten's_ date." Juuhachi shot her daughter a look, telling her to quit antagonizing the others, even though she wasn't at all pleased with what Bra had done to Goten.

"Oh, that's all she is? His date to the Gala? Shame, I thought they were actually dating." Bra said innocently, and Rhea immediately jumped in to defend herself, not even realizing the consequences, "we _are_ dating. If you'd take a step back to look at things instead of being a meddler, you'd have realized it, too."

Bra raised a brow, "so I guess congratulations are in order. Make sure you tell your boyfriend to save me a dance, you know, if you're over the obsessive girlfriend stage and all. See you tonight; I'm sure you'll look... _great_."

Before anyone else could say anything, the blue haired bombshell and her mother were out the door, heading for their car, and the consequences of her decision were hitting Rhea hard. Pan, Marron, and Natalia knew she wasn't dating Goten. She thanked her lucky stars that they didn't call her out on it.

"Kami, what is she, _jealous_?" Videl hissed, coming to Rhea's side, "In case she'd forgotten, _she_ made the choice to cheat. Don't mind her foolishness, sweetheart, she just doesn't know a good man until she stabs one in the back."

"_Mama_!" Pan hissed, "And you were getting on me about that."

"I'm older than you; therefor I have the seniority to talk about whomever I want." Videl said with a grin, "You'll be able to do it too... after I'm dead and gone, and maybe not even then." Pan sighed at her mother and rolled her eyes, "let's do our make-up and get to the hotel so we can look positively stunning. If anyone needs to shower beforehand, Marron has a pretty good memory, and she's good with make-up."

Marron snorted, "if by '_good memory_' you mean the gigs of space on my iPhone 5." Everyone started to laugh, and the older women headed into the salon. Marron touched Rhea's arm, "you were right to lie to her. Otherwise she would've just bulldozed you flat-out. But it's on you to de-brief Goten about this. If I know her as well as I think I do, she'll ask him about his new girlfriend, and then... you know what'll happen. So you need to explain it to him ASAP."

Rhea nodded and pulled out the phone Daren had given her, immediately dialing Goten's number. She knew it by heart after all. As the dial tone sounded in her ears, she began to chew on her bottom lip and tap her toe on the cement. Pan chose to remain outside and wait with her, while the others went inside. She noticed the SUV from the apartment building rolling by, and the man from the coffee shop was looking out of the window at her.

"Rhea... who is that? Do you know him?" Pan asked softly, and Rhea shook her head in the negative, "that's the guy from the coffee shop." The Son woman nodded once and leaned against the glass window, watching with the eye of a hunter as the SUV pulled into a space at the back of the lot.

Rhea watched silently as Pan shifted from the average, every day civilian to a practiced martial artist in the blink of an eye. She didn't need to be trained to know that; while she looked relaxed, her body was tensed; ready to pounce at a seconds notice. The man climbed out of the black truck and began to make his way over to her.

Rhea realized; for some odd reason, he hadn't noticed Pan, but; then again, _why_ would he? There were a million and one brunettes all over the world, and Pan was famous for being able to look like a normal, average woman, rather than the heiress of Hercule Satan. Of course he would disregard her as some random brunette.

That would be his downfall.

"We meet again, Rhea Palladian." The man said, coming to a pleasant halt in front of her, as though they were old friends, "is your cousin here?"

"That depends..." Rhea began smoothly, "who wants to know?"

"Forgive my horrible manners." The man winked at her, "I'm Silas." And as he reached out for a hand shake, Rhea saw the glint of silver in the sleeve of his leather jacket. This man was leveling a gun at her.

"Listen, girl." He said softly but firmly, "I haven't got all the time in the world, so if you don't want your brains blown out all over this side walk, then you'll get your cousin, the both of you will come get in the back of my truck, and we'll take a little journey."

Pan frowned; _this must be the mercenary Mavis hired. But why is he coming after Rhea, too_? She shook her head, _no matter_. Her Uncle's soon-to-be girlfriend; at this rate that they were going they definitely would be in a relationship soon, needed some help. Pan pushed off of the window and out from under the shadow of the black awning overhead, letting the sun shine on her face.

Silas noticed her then, and his face pulled into a scowl, "get lost, lady; I'm conducting busi-" Pan calmly walked up to him, grabbed him by the wrist, spun on her toes, and buried her elbow in his scowling face. A small smirk formed on her lips as she heard the resounding crack as her elbow shattered his nose and cheek bones. The gun felt from the sleeve of his jacket as he reached up to clutch his nose, cursing wildly.

Videl, who'd been getting her make-up done closest to the window, jerked out of her seat, smearing lip gloss onto her cheek. She headed outside, ignoring the mishap, "Pan Son! What the _hell_ are you doing?!"

Pan looked over at her mother, "I'm, as he so eloquently put it, conducting some business," and smiled brightly before burying her knee in the man's solar plexus, certainly fracturing some ribs. After that, she let him fall to the pavement, whimpering and moaning like a spurned child.

"What did he do? I swear to Kami, Pan, if you hurt him this badly because he hit on you, I'll-"

"He pulled a gun on Rhea, Mama; he didn't hit on me... _Sheesh_." Pan all but wailed at her mother, and then muttered under her breath, "If he _did_ hit on me, then he'd be dead, courtesy of my fiancé, father, and uncle; not me."

Videl ignored her, and pulled Rhea into a hug. Rhea stood there numbly, listening to Goten's voice on the other line, but not being able to muster a response. Goten could hear his frantic sister in-law asking her if she was alright, and it worried him.

"_Rhea, sweet heart, are you alright?_" Goten asked, reaching up to skip the shampoo in his wet hair from running into his face. He'd just gotten his haircut, and now was at his apartment, washing the excess hair out.

"I'm... I'm fine, Goten, just... something happened at the make-up parlor, and I'm a bit shaken up." Rhea finally told him, breathing deeply and slowly to calm her heart rate. Kami, this was the second time in a week she'd been faced with a gun; though the first time was indirectly, and it was taking a toll on her mentally and emotionally.

"_Rhea, give Pan or Videl the phone. I just want you to sit down somewhere, take some deep breaths. I can tell that you're freaked, and the last thing you need is to go into shock._" Goten instructed her, and Rhea reveled in the slight tone of possessiveness that invaded his voice.

"Goten, I want to talk to you. I need to tell you something... or ask you a favor, really."

"_Anything you need, I'll do it_." Goten told her immediately, and Rhea bit her lip, "I had a run-in with Bra today, and I may have gotten a little in over my head and told her we were dating. Do you think that we could pretend to date for the Gala, and then forget about all of this later on?"

"_Rhea, you shouldn't have let her get to you like that. Just ignore her; I do._" Goten's voice became condescending, and she felt like a reprimanded child, "Goten, I'm sorry... I was... I got jealous, okay? When I get jealous I do stupid things."

"_Rhea, relax. I'm not mad. Look, we can pretend to date for the Gala if that's what you want._" Goten told her, feeling sorry for being so short with her. He felt a little too joyful for this opportunity to date her, even if it was to hide a white lie from his ex.

"Oh, Goten, thanks. You're a lifesaver." Rhea breathed, and then blushed when she almost told him that she loved him. _What the... where the hell did that one come from?_ She dismissed it and grinned, "I'll see you soon."

"_Yeah... I can't wait._" Goten all but sighed, blissfully under her spell. It was rare that she was this hyper, jubilant, and outgoing; he blamed her random bursts on her lack of a childhood, and he loved it. She'd mentioned her spotty history to him during a phone call, but she never went into depth with anything except for the fact that she was basically an adult by the time she was five, and did mostly everything for herself by that age.

The two exchanged good byes and hung up, returning to their previous activities. Pan grasped her shoulder, "he's on board?" Rhea nodded, and Pan grinned, "go inside and get your make-up done. I'll cover for you when the police get here; and Mama... get that fixed."

Rhea giggled and went inside; taking a seat in the styling chair that one of the nice-looking women had waved her over to. Her eyes slipped closed as they began to cover her face with make-up...

*at the hotel*

Marron had pictures of everyone's make-up jobs, and had bought every product used to create the look... and took videos of each job, including her own. She was going to make sure that the night went off without a hitch, even if it killed her.

"Holy mother..." Rhea gasped, trailing off. She was fresh from her shower, and had gone to her own private suite to check out her dress. The fabric was a sparkling blue, the same shade as the ocean waves at high noon. The color complimented her olive-toned skin and did wonders for her bright green eyes.

The dress itself was a halter fish tail gown with no back, and a white, faux fur coat for her to wear over it, meant to conceal her dress from Goten. The deep vee at the front of the gown had her worried, but then she noticed the space was filled in with a flesh colored fabric to preserve her dignity. Just above the knee, the dress flared out into a wide tail with a train about a foot or so in length. She was instantly in love with it.

Isabelle had selected jewelry pieces for her, amongst which were a diamond collar necklace with a matching cuff bracelet, and a pair of diamond chandelier earrings. The shoes, however, took her breath away. The bottoms were red; letting her know _exactly _how expensive they must've been, and the surface of them was coated with crushed Swarovski crystals. They were regular pumps that zipped in the back and showed off her pedicure wonderfully.

Rhea squealed in delight and ran off to grab her robe before going to Marron's room for hair and make-up.

"Oh my kami, this is amazing!" Natalia shrieked, looking over her own dress in awe. The fabric was stark white at the top and gradually faded out to midnight purple at the hem of the dress, and almost black at the end of the slight train.

The dress was a long sleeve A-line; off the shoulders with an encrusted bodice and skirt; which was made from silk, overlaid in a thin layer of encrusted lace. The sleeves themselves were pure ivory with small crystals interwoven into the fabric. The sleeves came to a point at the center of the top of her hand; with a loop that hooked over her middle finger and attached to the underside of the sleeve, in a princess style. The bodice was ribbed and corseted; tied with silky lavender ribbon, made to fit close to her figure until it flared over her hips, thirty six inches in radius.

The shoes were sparkling white sling backs with purple accents, complimenting her pedicure. The jewelry consisted of a silver choker with purple jewels hanging from it in chandelier fashion, and matching earrings and a few hair pins. Talia giggled and slipped into her robe before leaving her room for Marron's.

**(A/N: My idea for this is that, since it's winter, a lot of women will have full, A-line ball gowns. Summer time seems like the best time to have the thinner dresses with smaller, more manageable skirts. That, and it also seemed like the perfect time to exercise my love for princess style gowns.)**

"Isabelle, we do not pay you enough." Marron said to herself as she unfurled the bag that held her dress. The fabric was a pale, almost icy pink in color, sheened to match her nails.

The dress itself was like a traditional ball gown, with three petticoats underneath the initial one, varying in shades somewhere between the pale pink of her dress, and stark ivory. Her gown was A-line, with a choker halter, made entirely from sparkling pink jewels and diamonds.

The bodice hugged to her figure before flaring out into her favored full gauze skirt. Others found them cumbersome and an annoyance, but she loved feeling like a princess. Her shoes were a soft, rose pink in color, and her jewelry consisted of a rose gold charm bracelet, and a pair of pink diamond studs. She examined the open toed pumps and grinned, "I love it."

Marron slipped into her robe and went to prepared the bathroom for the make-up she'd be doing, including her own.

"Alright, Isabelle," Pan murmured, slowly unzipping her dress bag, "_wow_ me." She pushed the bag open and smiled, "_ohhh_, you've outdone yourself this time."

A one strap A-line ball gown lay within the bag, sparkling softly in the dim light. The bodice was stark ivory, accented with both crystals and diamonds, and; towards the middle of the corseted top, became streaked with sparkling silver fabric. This continued into the skirt, which was constructed entirely of both encrusted diamonds and sparkling silver fabric. A sheer, silver lined ribbon made up the tie for the corset.

Her jewelry was a small, Swarovski crystal collar with matching studs and an intricate cuff designed to complement her toned upper arms, and crystal hair pins. Her shoes were strappy sling backs; the straps covered in crystals and diamonds, much like the bodice of her dress.

"They'll be able to see me from the satellite." Pan murmured, grinning maniacally as she rushed from her room, and to Marron's.

**(A/N: A lot of the designs are similar, but I like it this way. Since Capsule Corp is hosting the Gala this year, both Pan and Trunks have to stand out, hence the color coding for the President and his date.)**

*meanwhile*

"Well, don't you look snazzy?"

Goten jumped a mile in the air and then turned to face the culprit, his hand over his chest. Gohan laughed and walked over to him, dressed in a black tux with a periwinkle vest and bow tie. His jacket, however, was nowhere in sight.

"Gohan, leave me alone." Goten huffed, a bit perturbed that he'd been taken by surprise so easily. He was a warrior, dammit, not some bumbling human. The younger brother turned back to the mirror to fight with his bow tie. The sea blue fabric was; by far, winning the war.

"Let me help you, bro." Gohan said with a chuckle, tugging his brother around by his shoulders until her faced him. Then, with the skilled fingers of a surgeon, Gohan quickly tied the fabric into a neat, even bow; not too tight or loose. Goten rolled his eyes slipped into his vest, pulling the band at the back so it would fit his muscular torso with plenty of definition.

Gohan watched his brother quickly button up his vest quietly, and then cleared his throat, "You love her, don't you?" Goten looked at his brother through the mirror, "Where'd this come from?" The elder Son shrugged, "You've changed. In the short amount of time that Rhea has been in your life, you've completely made a turn-around."

"That doesn't mean I love her, Gohan..." Goten trailed off, watching as his brother raised a brow at him, and then sighed, "Dammit. I hate when you're right." Gohan laughed softly and punched him in the shoulder, "I'm not trying to tease you. I'm happy for you, and I like Rhea. She's a sweet woman, and she's a better match for you then Bra ever was."

"I know, I know," Goten began reciting his brother's old spiel, "'_Bra's too ostentatious for you. She's too much work for your first girlfriend_.' I still can't believe I thought what we had was love. Taking her shopping, buying her presents; all that stuff we did all involved me emptying my wallet and bank account to please her. Rhea never asks for anything; she's too shy for that, and she's absolutely adorable. Every time I hear her voice or see her, my heart just starts pounding away and my palms get all sweaty... it's kind of insane, the amount of power she holds over me, but I know she'd never do anything malicious or selfish with it... like Bra."

"That sounds like how I felt when I met Vi for the very first time." Gohan said wistfully, and Goten laughed, "way back when she had those funny pigtails."

"Hey," Gohan said with a laugh, "her pigtails were cute."

"Yeah, this coming from the guy that was responsible for her getting them cut off."

"It helped her fight better, didn't it?"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," a new voice broke up the banter, "I do believe that is enough."

"Wow, Trunks, you blinded me for a second." Goten said softly. He and Gohan locked gazes, and then the two brothers fell out in raucous laughter at the Prince's expense.

Trunks was dressed in a white tux shirt and pants with pale silver shoes, vest, and an untied bow tie hanging around his neck. His face set into his father's scowl, "if you two are ready to act like adults, I need some help with this stupid bow tie."

"Can't Panny tie it for you?" Goten asked, teasing. Trunks' scowl deepened, "yes, but thanks to Maz, I'm not allowed clearance into the girls' suites, so I'm stuck with you two."

Gohan rolled his eyes and went to go lend his bow tie tying expertise just as Uub and Daren walked in. Uub was wearing a pair of silver tuxedo pants, a pale pink shirt, and a black vest with a silver bowtie. Daren wore a pair of black tuxedo pants, and a white shirt with a violet vest and a lavender bowtie. Both of them wore black shoes, and both of their bow ties were untied. Gohan sighed, knowing his father was most likely next on his list, and set to his task.

*meanwhile*

Rhea sat before her mirror, not recognizing the Goddess who looked back at her. Her eyes were lined in black, which tapered off into curlicues at the corners of her eyes, and the lids glowed with a rich blue that matched her dress perfectly. On her brow bone, the barest hint of blue-green had been blended with the blue, making her emerald eyes show brightly.

Her lips were coated in a darker shade of fuchsia, bringing an air of mystery to her. Add in the stunning dress, shoes, jewelry and coat and she looked fabulous. Her hair framed her face in chaotic curls, and she doubted anyone at the Gala would be expecting anyone to show up in a dress like this, let alone her; the long-lost daughter of Nicholas Palladian.

If she was to be sacrificing all the sense of security she once had tonight, then she'd be doing it with a bang. Rhea grabbed her purse, coat, and put on her shoes before leaving her room.

Natalia smiled at the mirror, overjoyed to be in her new dress. Her hair was gathered in a flower bun at the nape of her neck, and her bangs were curled to gently frame her face. Her make-up was basically the same as the one she'd had for the Gala where she'd met Daren for the first time, and she was thankful for the little throw back.

The paps would go nuts when they realized that the lone heir to the Johansen fortune had resurfaced. There was no way her aunt would be able to have her killed, now that she was back in the spotlight... right? She shook her head, grabbed her coat and purse, and left the room.

Marron sat before the mirror in her room, fixing the pin that held a hump made of hair in place on the top of her head. The rest of her blonde tresses were gathered in a French twist at the back of her head. her eyes were lined in a dark rose, and her lids were coated in a shimmering pink just a smidgen darker than her dress. Her lips were a soft pink that would look gaudy on most, but, against her pale blonde hair and icy blue eyes, looked positively stunning. She smiled, finished fixing the pin, and slipped into her shoes and grabbed her stole and purse before leaving the room.

Pan fixed the small crown shaped pin on top of her head and examined her reflection. Her eyes were lined in midnight blue, and her eyes shimmered with silver and white shadow. There was a small row of stick-on crystals just above her eyelashes. Her lips were a vibrant red that shimmered slightly in the low lights.

Her hair was slicked to her head to a point, and then Marron had created a '_crown_' of her curls and pinned them artfully the back of her head with the pins Isabelle had left her in her dress bag. The crown piece spanned the entire arrangement of curls on her head, and made her look like a snow princess. In a way; by her fiancé hosting the Gala, she kind of was.

Pan shook her head at the strange humor and gathered her things together before leaving the room. She had a fiancé to wow, after all.

*in the foyer*

Trunks, Goten, Uub, and Daren waited impatiently for their dates to emerge on the grand silvery grey marble steps in the main lobby of the Hyatt hotel. Videl, Chichi, and Juuhachi had emerged earlier than the girls, and refused to give any hints as to what they looked like.

Movement at the top of the staircase caught Goten's attention, and his jaw fell as he took in the Goddess making her way down the steps. He caught himself and rushed to assist her as she reached the bottom, smiling exuberantly at him and placed her ivory gloved hand in his.

"Rhea... you look... Kami, I have no words to describe how amazing you look." Goten breathed, leaning down to kiss the back of her hand. Rhea giggled, blushing heavily as she took him in, "You look dashing, Goten. So gentlemanly." Goten offered her his arm, which she took with no hesitation, and led her over to his family.

Daren's eyes nearly popped out of his head as his princess emerged from the shadows at the head of the staircase, smiling widely. Her coat was white, like her cousin's, and draped the floor so her dress couldn't be seen until it came time for them to enter the ball. Her boyfriend was quick to make it to the staircase and grasped her hand and gently helped her down.

"Kami, woman... are you trying to kill me?" Daren asked, wrapping his arms around her waist. "And what if I am?" she asked dubiously, leaning up to grant him a small kiss. "Then you're close to succeeding." Daren replied, kissing the back of her hand, "tu sei _magnifico_, mio amore." They linked arms and he led her back to the others.

Uub's jaw hit the floor as his blonde bombshell made her way gracefully down the stairs, cloaked in a silver coat. Her smile was bright and infectious as she made her approach, and only grew as she saw Uub in his new tux. He glided to the base of the stairs and waited for her, his gaze completely devoted to her.

"You've has outdone yourself, Maz." Uub murmured as her gloved hand slid into his, "you look like you came straight from heaven, my angel." Marron blushed, truly flattered, and kissed his cheek, "thank you, Uub-kun. You look positively fine in this tux." He wrapped his arm around his waist and, together, they headed over to Marron's parents.

Trunks pushed off of the wall and went to the base of the stairs, waiting patiently for his Sayiajin no Hime to emerge. He wasn't disappointed.

Before Pan could even make it halfway down the steps, her fiancé was wrapped around her, with his lips pressed hungrily to hers. Everyone watched the display with varying humor, wistfulness, or disgust. After a few seconds, Pan disentangled herself and hit her fiancé.

"Dammit, Trunks, now I have to go fix my lip gloss!" She turned, gathering her dress and silvery white coat, and made her way back up the stairs with Trunks trailing her, a million apologies trailing from his lips.

_Tonight is going to be something else_, Rhea thought, still giggling at Pan's embarrassed outcry, _and I can hardly wait_.

* * *

**The next chappie may take a day or two, depending on me. I was originally going to write it all and split the chapter into two, but I'm too tired and my head hurts too much to keep going. All this brainstorming and thinking of plausible dress designs is difficult. Next chapter features the Gala, and family drama on both Rhea and Natalia's accounts. I will be featuring Rhea's mother, and her rapist will be present. Just wait until you find out who he is... *wink wink* stay tuned for more! Much Love, SukiChan12^-^**


	13. Quando l'orologio batte le dodici pt 1

**Any confusion from the last chapter with Marron's dress; I meant that the part of the dress that enclosed her upper chest and neck was made out of pink gems and diamonds. Alright, here we have the Gala. I included this to bring a certain couple a bit closer, and to reconnect Rhea with her mother. That, and to stir up some family drama. Without further ado, the Gala... Talia's dress sleeves won't allow her to wear gloves like the other girls. Ball is from seven to twelve.**

* * *

**No POV**

The coat tenders waited at the doors to the ball room as the group approached, waiting to take the ladies' coats. He came to Talia first, and she obediently stretched out her arms so he'd be able to get it off of her with ease. Daren watched, deeply interest with what her actual dress looked like. As the faux fur was peeled away from his girlfriend like a cocoon, his jaw dropped yet again as he took in her dress.

"You like it?" Talia asked softly, stepping away from the coat tender with a smile. Rendered mute by her almost obscene beauty, Daren was torn between simply nodding or attacking her like Trunks had done with Pan on the stairs. Deciding not to incur her wrath, he nodded and kissed the back of her hand, "you look amazing, amore."

Rhea was next, and she nervously spread her arms so the coat man could take her coat and reveal her dress to Goten, who waited patiently. She sighed to herself, he knew she was nervous and wasn't going to rush her by being impatient. The coat slid down her arms, and the silver stole she'd wear into the ball room tumbled to the floor. Goten's eyes became wide as he knelt down to pick up the fabric for her. Abashed, she smiled at him as a blush overtook her cheeks.

"R-Rhea... wow... you're absolutely stunning." The younger Son brother managed to breathe, completely enamored with his date. She giggled nervously as he gently wrapped her stole around her to help with her awkwardness. Rhea smiled, "thank you, Goten."

Marron laid her stole and purse in her mother's arms and went over to the coat man. The man smiled as he helped her out of the coat, and Uub's jaw fell, "Ma-Maz-chan, you're so be-beautiful..." Marron smiled and waltzed over to him as Juuhachi handed him her stole, "thank you, husband." Uub wrapped the stole around her and used the ends to pull his wife in for a quick kiss.

Everyone turned to look expectantly at Pan.

"Oh no, my big reveal doesn't come until eight, when mostly all of the guests have arrived, so don't get your hopes up, none of you get to peek." With that, the Son woman whisked away to the back area reserved for the lady of the hour, smirking victoriously to herself.

Trunks watched her go, and then pouted, "Dammit, I don't get to see it until she comes down the steps." Everyone burst into laughter and lined up with their dates as they waited for their turn to go down the stairs.

"Introducing the President of Capsule Corp, Mr. Trunks Briefs!"

All female eyes turned to take in the President as he made his way down the stairs, dressed to the nines in his white and silver '_coat and tails_' complete with a ridiculous top hat and a white cane.

"Oh my Kami, he's so friggin sexy."

"Too bad he's engaged."

"To that little tom boy brat, Pan Son, I heard."

"I bet it's a fluke."

"What would a guy like him see in a girl like _that_?"

"What I wouldn't give to be in her place. At least _then_ I'd be able to take his clothes off and ravish him every night."

"Amen to _that_."

Somalia stood next to her mother, listening to the female drivel as her own eyes became starry at the sight of the eldest child of Vegeta and Bulma. _He's so handsome... I'd kill to be in that tom boy's spot..._ she sighed and looked up at her mother, "I want him, Mother."

"That's just too bad. We want a lot of things we can't have, and it's disrespectful to go after a committed man. Even I can see that he only has eyes for Pan Son." Mavis replied, and Somalia rolled her eyes, _it's okay to kill flesh and blood, but it's a total crime to play adulterer? That's interesting, mother_.

"Mavis?"

Mavis smiled at her date as he approached, "Loren, it's about time you showed up."

Both Larkin and Laria, who'd been lingering near-by, scowled as the man approached. Their father was the epitome of a rolling stone, and had hardly been there during their child hood lives. Now that their mother had come into a lot of money, it seemed like he saw fit to stick around. That was one thing they shared with Somalia; they hated their father.

Mali drifted away from her mother as her father closed the distance, shooting him a parting glare with her identical pale blue eyes before heading over to her siblings. Larkin and Laria raised a brow at her and she approached.

"I can't believe she can't see that all he wants is the money." Mali said softly, glaring at the floor. Laria nodded, "she's stupid and blind to think that anyone wants her. Mom used to look good, but," she frowned, "she's let herself go... quite a bit." Larkin and Mali nodded, and then Larkin raised a brow at his older sister, "are you subtly trying to switch over to the dark side? I know that you've been spying on me."

Mali shrugged, "I just... I realize that I've been stuck under mom's shadow for so long that everything she's done just seemed right, but now... she's planning on taking out the last of our living family."

Laria, who hadn't been aware of the conversation, gasped, "You mean Uncle Nicki and Rhea and her mother, along with Talia?" Mali nodded sadly, "she put the hit out a week or so ago."

"That's... that's _insane_. She can't just think that she'll be able to pull it off, can she? Something's got to give." Laria said softly but firmly.

"If it's any consolation, I'm sorry for being a brain dead idiot and going along with her plans."

"It's alright, Mali, you can be our spy, now." Larkin said, pulling both girls deeper into the crowd so their mother wouldn't suspect anything, "just listen and do exactly as I say..."

*meanwhile*

"Ms. Rhea Palladian and Mr. Goten Son!"

All eyes turned to the head of the grand staircase as the couple made their way down. Rhea had a death grip on Goten's arm, and her feet shook with each step. Goten rubbed her arm soothingly as he kept a firm grip on her; he was worried she'd fall on her unsteady legs. She smiled gratefully at him as they got to the bottom of the stairs and entered the throng of paparazzi waiting for them.

"Ms. Palladian, what was life like for you with your father?"

"Mr. Son, weren't you with Ms. Bra Briefs prior to being with Ms. Palladian?"

"Do you prefer heiresses, Mr. Son?"

"Ms. Palladian?!"

"Mr. Son?!"

Rhea struggled to cope with the urge to run screaming from the ball room, clinging desperately to Goten's arm. For someone who wasn't in the headlines very often, he fended off the questions and pleas with grace. It was only him who kept her anchored, and she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as they crossed the dance floor and headed over to the table reserved for the friends of the President of the hosting corporation.

"Ms. Natalia Johansen-Palladian and Mr. Daren Foster!"

Natalia and Daren came down the stairs, smiling widely as cameras began to flash and questions began to fly. Tonight was going to be difficult; she already knew her aunt was present, but she wanted to enjoy it while she could. Daren leaned over and kissed her temple, inciting questions about their relationship.

"Ms. Palladian, how long have you and Mr. Foster been dating?" a random reporter asked, shoving a mike in her face. She smirked before replying, "Long enough." Daren squeezed her hand, and she felt his body quaking with quiet laughter.

"If you'll excuse us." Daren said with a wink, "my girlfriend and I are ready to enjoy the Gala. Nice talking with you." He immediately led Talia over to the table before they started asking about her parents' funeral.

"Thanks, babe." Talia told him softly, "things were about to get a little heated." Daren nodded once and kissed the back of her hand, "this brings back so many memories. I wish I'd gotten the chance to know you better." She smiled, "I wish I did, too. At least Fate saw it fit to bring us back together."

Suddenly, their path to the table was blocked by Mavis and- Natalia breathed shocked gasp. The man on Mavis's arm was one of her old regulars. _This isn't good_, Natalia squeezed Daren's hand tightly as her Aunt smiled wide, hoping the man wouldn't recognize her.

"Oh, Natalia, darling." Mavis squealed, "it's been so _long_ since I've seen you last. You've grown up quite a bit, haven't you?" Natalia shrugged and; when Mavis went for a hug, backed away, "What do you think you're doing? You think that I've forgotten what you did to me after all these years? You must be stupider than you look."

"Oh, sweetheart, it was all a-"

"Bullshit. It was all bullshit. Don't try to get all cozy with me when you and I both know that you hate my guts and I more than return the favor. Wondering why I haven't '_disappeared_' yet, aren't you?" Natalia smirked at the alarm in Mavis's eyes, "Oh, yes, Larkin has been cluing me in all along. It's nice to know that some family won't turn their back on you in your time of need. Have a wonderful time, tonight, and stay away from my cousin."

Natalia grasped Daren's hand and tried to go around her Aunt, but the older woman grabbed her arm, "Don't think that because you know all of this that I'm just going to quit, you little whore. Oh, Loren has told me all about the _passionate_ nights he spent with you."

Daren pulled Talia away from her Aunt and glared at her, "How dare you hold that over her like that? She couldn't find another way to get by; thanks to you."

Mavis shrugged, "that wasn't my problem. So tell me, is this little romance thing you two have going for real, or is it a ruse so she can get at the gold mine you're inheriting? I must say, your work is impressive, Natalia."

"It's not like that. I'm not a selfish bitch, like you." Talia hissed, plastering a fake smile on her face. The event was televised, so she couldn't tip anyone off that the conversation was getting tense. Mavis shrugged and held up a small USB driver, "Loren has pictures. If you so much as _breathe_ a word about what I've done to anyone with power in the legal system, and your reputation is _gone_."

"My safety means more to me than a lousy reputation. So what, people with whisper about me behind my back and insult me to my face. At least I'll be _alive_. Consider yourself done, Mavis."

"You don't have any proof." Mavis sneered, rolling her eyes as she covered her ire with a false laugh.

"You think I would tell you all of this if I didn't have anything to back it up with in court?" Natalia asked with a laugh, "clearly all the brains in the family went to Mom and Uncle Nick. Have a nice life, Aunt M, and... _Don't drop the soap_."

Daren led her away from her Aunt and kissed the top of her head as they approached the table, "You handled that very well, amore." Talia kissed his cheek and took a seat at the table, "Life's going to be crazy once she puts those pictures out, but- _Rhea_?"

Rhea was sitting rigidly in her seat, watching the man Mavis had brought slip through the crowd with his date. Her hands clenched on the table cloth, and her chest moved quickly, as though she were on the verge of hyperventilation.

"It's... oh, kami, I can't... Talia," She whispered desperately, "It's _him_, Talia, _he's_ here." Natalia grasped her hand under the table with a muffled curse, "you're absolutely sure?" Rhea nodded, "He's the guy that Mavis brought as a date."

"My _dad_?"

Everyone looked up as Larkin and Laria approached, both looking worried at Rhea's panicked tone. Laria grasped her youngest cousins' hand, "what did my dad do to you? If he did anything, I swear I'll..." she trailed off, "his eyes... oh kami, I didn't even notice..."

Goten, who was getting even more worried and agitated, wrapped an arm around Rhea and kissed her temple, "Rey, tell me. What did he do?"

"Goten, isn't it obvious? Their father is the twins' father. _Do_ the math." Natalia said softly, clutching her cousin's hand, "I can't believe this..."

"He's fucking sick..." Larkin said, and his face looked as though it had a tinge of green to it, "just sick in the fucking head..."

Goten helped Rhea to her feet and led her out onto the balcony. She rushed to the edge and grabbed the banister, breathing deeply to slow her heart down from its frantic pace. Rhea bit her lip and turned around, still taking deep breaths, "G-Goten... please..."

Goten's arms wrapped her up in a warm, loving embrace, and Rhea melted into him, sighing. His lips pressed lightly against the top of her head, "why didn't you tell- never mind. I can't imagine how hard it must be for you to try to tell someone that you've been..."

"_Raped_?" Rhea supplied, pulling away so she could look into his eyes, "I feel horrible for turning their lives upside down. To know that their father is a rapist and that their cousin is the mother of their half-siblings... it's so _sick_... I bet he knew; that day, when he chased me from the park... he knew I was his niece, and he probably wanted me to stay quiet about it. It's too late now."

"Rhea, did you walk up to him and ask him to violate you?"

"No, but-"

"You didn't ask for it, so it's not your fault that their father took advantage of you. you're an innocent in this equation-" Goten was cut off by the door swinging open, and both of them looked up as Videl, Gohan, Chichi, and Goku came outside.

"We saw you leave." Videl said softly, "and we wanted to make sure everything was alright." Rhea smiled softly, "I realized something a bit disturbing... it's-"

"Darling, if you don't want to say anything about it, you don't have to." Chichi told her softly, smiling in a motherly manner at her.

"No... _No_." Rhea said firmly, "I need to be able to stop getting scared of telling people what's wrong with me. I _want_ to tell you this. People need to know, because it could be a danger to others, or me."

This aroused Gohan's attention, and he frowned, "What is it, Rhea?"

"The... umm... Crap, why can't I just _say_ it?!" Rhea asked herself angrily, and then glanced around for any bystanders. There were none. She sighed and whispered, "Themanthatrapedmeisinthere. Someone brought him as a date and I... I'm scared."

Videl frowned, "sweet heart, what did you say? Someone brought who as a date?" Chichi was equally concerned, "say it slower, darling." Gohan, with his saiyan hearing, had caught her words and looked at his brother warningly, "don't do anything rash."

"Kind of hard not to, knowing what he's done to her." Goten snapped, glowering at the ground, "I want her to enjoy herself; how can she do that if her _rapist_ is there, in the _same_ room?"

Chichi gasped, "Oh, darling, it's alright. We'll keep an eye on him." Goten nodded, "Damn right, I will. He's Mavis Palladian's date." Videl nodded firmly, "I'd _gladly_ kick his ass, dress or not."

Rhea smiled; it felt so good to explain to people why she had strange tendencies. She didn't feel comfortable telling people about her past, but sometimes it was a necessary evil that had to be faced. Besides, what if one of the other lovely young girls got assaulted because she didn't say anything?

"Thank you, so much. I feel better already." Rhea smiled gratefully at Goten's family. "Would you like us to clue in the others, or would you like to keep it between us?" Videl asked gently. Rhea nodded, "just don't tell Bra. She'd probably hold it over me."

"Who cares about Bra?" Goten asked gruffly, "you're far more important." Rhea blushed, "Goten..." He smiled and kissed her forehead, "I'm not lying to you, sweet heart. You're more important to me than she'll ever be."

"Come on, Gohan; let's tell Marron, Uub, and Trunks." Videl grasped her husband's hand and led him back inside, "Trunks can tell Pan when it's time for her to come in, which should be in a few minutes."

"Come on, we need to get back inside before they bring the cameras out here." Goten said softly, guiding her back inside.

*a few minutes later*

The clock struck eight, and all eyes were trained on the main staircase, wondering how the Lady of the Hour; aka the hosting President's wife/fiancée/girlfriend/date, would wow them this year. Most of the women were whispering vindictive things about Pan and Trunks' relationship, and then those morphed into lewd, perverted comments as Trunks took his place at the foot of the stairs, minus the top hat and cane. He knew Pan would kill him if she'd seen him in that.

The kind of music you would hear on a game show, when a prize was won by a contestant, began to play as the curtains erected at the head of the stairs parted to reveal the future Mrs. President of Capsule Corporations.

"The Lady of the Hour: the lovely Miss Pan Son; soon to be Mrs. Trunks Briefs!"

Pan blushed softly at that additive and turned her eyes to the base of the steps as she arranged her humongous skirt to get down to her love. Trunks' smile was brighter than the reflection of the spotlight on her dress, and she giggled softly before taking her first step, enjoying her little Cinderella moment. She wasn't fond of dressing up and fairy tales, but it was well worth it to see the look of awe currently painted on her husband to-be's face.

"She looks stunning." Marron whispered, nudging Uub. Uub nodded, "Trunks is a lucky man." Natalia and Daren watched Pan's slow descent with wondrous eyes. "Isabelle is amazing." Talia said softly, looking over at her cousin; whom was ensconced in Goten's arms.

Rhea nodded in agreement, her eyes trained on Pan as she reached the bottom step and took Trunks' hand. His responding smile was brilliant, and she briefly wondered if Goten would ever smile at her like that. _Perhaps he already has_, she wondered, looking up at him as he watched his niece and best friend.

Goten felt eyes on his face, and looked down at the small nymph in his arms. She blushed heavily and looked down, abashed at being caught staring. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head, "It's alright to look, Rey." His eyes scanned the crowd, searching for the current position of the ass hat that dared hurt his nymph. He found him near the champagne fountain, and his eyes narrowed.

"You look absolutely... there aren't any words to describe how sexy you look in this dress." Trunks whispered, pulling her into his arms as the press swarmed, shouting questions about their wedding date and location.

"There isn't a number to cover how many different ways I want to rip that tux off of your body." Pan replied, giggling naughtily, "and I'll start with my... _teeth_." Trunks shivered against her, helplessly aroused by her sweet little voice speaking such dirty things in his ear, "Panny, we can't leave in the middle of this... we have to stay and host it."

"Oh, I know." Pan whispered, and subtly nipped his earlobe before screwing in her front page smile for the press, leaving him hanging and hopelessly lost. _You will be the death of me, woman..._

*at the table*

"Ms. Bra Briefs and Mr. Juunanago."

Rhea heaved a weary sigh and cuddled closer to Goten as Bra made her way down the stairs, clothed in a rich crimson ball gown. She could see the glimmer of rubies in the skirt, on the corseted bodice, and on the ruched; off-the-shoulder sleeves.

Bra's gloves were rich ebony that set off the milky quality of her skin, and the cerulean of her hair, which was styled in an elaborate chignon with a braid at her hairline, trailing down the left side of her head. The make-up around her eyes was dark and smoky, and her lips were the exact same shade as the blood that flowed through her veins.

A thick gold chain of metal wrapped snuggly around Bra's neck, decorated by rubies, and matching earrings swung from her ears, and a cuff bracelet wrapped around her right wrist. Her supposed fiancé was wearing a jet black tux with a black shirt, crimson vest, and a crimson bow tie that hung from his neck, untied. The top few buttons of his shirt were undone, hinting at an undefined chest.

Rhea frowned, _how does she manage to look absolutely otherworldly, no matter what she wears?_ She gripped Goten's jacket in her small fists as the couple glided across the floor and made their way over to the table. Bra's blue eyes sought her out, and Rhea stood tall as the distance closed between them, her arm around Goten's torso.

"Goten." Juunana nodded, "who's the limpet here?"

"This is my girlfriend, Rhea." Goten said softly, clearly no longer effected by Juunana's poking, prodding, all together _irritating_ banter, "Rhea, this is Juunanago; Bra's fiancé, and Juuhachi's twin brother."

"A pleasure." Rhea said softly, but didn't offer her hand when Juunana offered his. She didn't feel comfortable around this strange looking man. Goten sensed her distress, and his arm tightened around her waist.

"Oh... I'm sorry; I hope I haven't done anything to offend you." Juunana told her softly, but she knew he was being sarcastic. Goten spoke up, "she's not very comfortable around strange-looking men she's never met."

"Well, that's too bad. I told my fiancé all about you; Rhea, and he was hoping you'd save him a dance." Bra said sweetly; _too_ sweetly in Rhea's opinion.

"Oh, well that's just _too_ bad, huh?" Rhea asked, her smile still in place for the cameras, "I'm sorry, but all my dances have been divvied up between Goten, his older brother, Trunks, Daren, and Uub. I'm afraid I don't have any room for another partner. Tell me, Bra, who asked _you_ to save them a dance?"

Blue fire ignited in Bra's eyes, and Rhea was glad for the change from the stoic, emotionless look she'd always had when antagonizing her. Bra shrugged; a faux smile in place, "I'm an honest woman. My dances are all reserved by my fiancé. Tata, for now."

Rhea and Goten watched the couple depart, and Rhea felt a sense of victory. She'd finally out-antagonized the ice princess.

"You're some kind of spitfire, aren't you?" Goten asked softly, pulling her around to face him, "I'm glad you didn't let her walk all over you." Rhea smiled softly, "I feel better, but I think I went too far. I know your friends aren't too happy with her, and I used it against her."

"She should've left well enough alone. It's her fault." Marron told her, "and that was amazing. Way to go, Rhea."

Pan and Trunks, finally free of the press, came over to them, and Marron whooped, "That is _some_ dress. The way you two are dressed, you might as well get married tonight."

"And give the press what they want? Live coverage of our wedding?" Trunks and Pan looked at each other for a few seconds before shaking their heads, "_Nah_." Everyone started laughing at the couple, and Pan shot Rhea a soft look, "My parents explained everything, and I'd be more than happy to keep an eye out for you. if you'd like, Marron and I can train you; show you the ropes."

Rhea's eyes widened, "Marron? You know martial arts?" The blonde nodded, "Pan taught me the basics, and Uub showed me a few _tricks_." By '_tricks_' she meant flying and ki, but Goten could tell her about _that_ side of the family later on.

"Wow. Marron, you don't even look like you train." Rhea said, clearly in awe. "If Pan didn't flaunt her stuff at every tenkaichi budokai, then no one would expect her to be the type to train, either." Marron giggled, and Pan rolled her eyes, "being in the budokai is in my blood. _Literally_, in there. Both of my Grampas, my Granny Chi, my parents, my fiancé, his father, and my uncle have been in the budokai. Why not me? I've been participating in the tourney since I was a wee tot. Barely four. I started training at age two."

"Martial arts are a big thing in our family." Goten explained, "my mother trained me herself, and she also shows Pan a few moves every once in a while, when the mood strikes her."

"That's cool-"

"Mr. Nicholas Palladian and Ms. Rebekah Guiles!"

Rhea paused mid-sentence, and her eyes whipped up to the head of the staircase. Her father looked dashing in a black tux with emerald green accessories, and the woman beside him could've passed for herself if it weren't for the brilliant red curls hanging down to her hips in a half ponytail. She wore a glittering emerald ball gown with gold jewelry and white gloves.

"Is that your mom?" Pan asked softly, "she's gorgeous."

Truly, she was, as she glided across the dance floor on her father's arm. Rhea could see him searching the crowd; coming her way, and she bit her lip, knowing he was looking for her. _Crap, how do I get out of this? Bathroom... bathroom! I'll go to the bathroom!_

"Would anyone mind coming with me to the bathroom?" Rhea asked shyly, smiling at the girls around the table. Talia, Marron and Pan slid out of their seats at once and linked arms to get across the crowded ball room floor without getting separated. As soon as they got a little ways away from the table, Rhea realized that her parents were between them and the ladies room. She debated getting lost, as she was at the end of the trail, but she wouldn't risk running into her horrible Aunt and... and _him_ on her way back to the table.

"Rhea?"

She ran right into Marron's back as she came to a halt and pulled away, trying to collect herself; hoping the cameras hadn't seen her blunder. She smiled at her father, "Hi, Daddy."

Nicholas grinned and released his fiancé to pull his daughter into a warm, tight hug. She smiled and melted into his embrace, "you look handsome, Daddy."

"You look absolutely gorgeous, Princess." Nick pulled away and glanced meaningfully at her mother, who stood back from them, staring a hole into the floor at her feet. Her arms swung at her sides, and she'd begun to chew on her lip, slightly smearing her red lip gloss.

"Oh... Hi, mom." Rhea said softly, looking at her mother for the first time in fifteen years. She noticed the lack of gauntness to her body, and the healthy roundness of her cheeks that said she was getting a good meal, rather than the scraps they used to dine on while they were living on the streets. Rhea frowned, remembering it wasn't all that long ago for herself and her girls.

"It's nice to see you, Rhea." Rebekah told her quietly, as if she were ashamed. Rhea nodded once and grasped Marron's hand, "it was nice to see the both of you, but we must be going. I have to go to the ladies room." Her mother started to say something else, but she was already pulling the girls into the throng of people around them.

"Talk about awkward." Talia said as they entered the restroom, "we haven't even gotten to the dancing part, and I'm almost ready to get the hell out of here."

"Ditto." Rhea said softly, "I should've known she'd be here. I... I didn't... I couldn't think of what to say. What do say to your mother when the last time you saw her, she was this evil creature that beat you and just seemed to despise you? I was a child, yet it seemed like I could never do anything right in her eyes."

"Hey, it's alright... it's clear that both of you need a calmer atmosphere to talk things out. I know how hard it can be to think while a million and one other things are going on around you, and all the noise from the music and other conversations... holding a serious conversation in a public place is a hard thing to do." Marron told her, placing a hand on her back.

"You should ask her out to lunch one day, and then try to rehash things. It's clear that there's a lot that needs to be said between the two of you." Pan offered, looking at herself in the mirror, "If I were in your shoes, I'd want to know if she's turned over a new leaf or not. It's worth a shot."

"I'll try." Was the only response Rhea could come up with. She quickly powdered her nose and followed the girls into the gush of people, headed back to the table.

*meanwhile*

"Goten." Gohan warned softly, "_relax_. He's not going to get near her again. Not while we're here."

Goten growled softly, barely keeping a handle on his rage and his ki. Without Rhea near him, it seemed that he just couldn't keep himself calm, watching the bastard who dared to touch her in such a filthy way laugh and cajole with others. What right did he have to enjoy his life while Rhea suffered through hers?

"Look, bro." Trunks said softly, "I know you want to kill him. We _all_ do, but it wouldn't be right. We can't pass judgment like that." Uub nodded in agreement, "Marron was about ready to hurt him herself. Imagine that; tiny Marron kicking the ass of a man more than twice her size."

Goten chuckled despite himself, "stranger things have happened, Uub, and I definitely wouldn't put it past her... or _Pan_ for that matter."

"Oh... now, Pan... she wouldn't _kill_ him, per say, but the things she'd have planned for him would make him _wish_ for her to kill him instead. What can I say, my woman is a bit on the psychotic side, and I love her that way." Trunks said, chuckling softly, "She really likes Rhea; that I can tell. She's very protective of her, too."

"Same with Marron. They'd make good mothers."

"Oh?" Gohan chuckled, "then why haven't you had kids, yet, Uub?"

Uub shrugged, "we've only been married for a year, but she's been throwing out hints. I wanted to start trying over the honeymoon, but she wanted a year for us to get accustomed to being married. Wise decision on her part. I think we'll wait another year before we have kids, though. Having her all to myself with no interruptions did wonders for our relationship. We're a lot closer, now."

"That was beautiful, Uub." Trunks pretended to wipe a tear from his eye, "I was truly moved by it. You _certainly_ have a way with words."

Uub rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath before addressing Trunks directly.

"Married life is _nothing_ like dating or being engaged. You're tied to this other person for; basically, the rest of your life... unless things don't pan out like you thought they would. It's a huge difference. While you're dating or engaged, you can easily back out, but once you say '_I do_', it gets pretty bloody if you decide you no longer want to be with them." Uub chuckled softly.

"It's a conscious feeling; being bonded to this extraordinary person. Every second is intense and full of surprises. You're always going to be learning new things about them, no matter how long you've been with them."

Trunks huffed, "Treading thin, Uub. I love that amazing woman, and I intend to make an honest woman out her come May."

"More like _I'm_ going make an honest _man_ out of _you_, dear." Pan said sardonically, coming up behind him, "I'm not the one who's had a thousand and one girlfriends in a matter of _weeks_."

"And you're the one who turned me from my evil ways and showed me what it was like to really be in love." Trunks told her softly, all joking gone from his voice, "you're my saving grace." Pan blushed and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, "you're too sweet for words."

"And _I_ have a way with words? Trunks, I hereby name you _Word Master_."

"Oh, shut up, Uub."

Rhea glided over to Goten and wrapped her arms around his torso, laying her cheek on her lower chest. It was all she could reach, even in her heels; she was still dreadfully shorter than him. He smiled and kissed the top of her curly head, "what's wrong?"

"I ran into my parents on the way to the restroom." She told him softly, closing her eyes, "it was very... _awkward_ between my mother and I." Goten stroked her hair, letting his finger gently wrap around one of the wild ringlets for a moment, "It's alright, things will get-"

"I was wondering where my elusive new niece had gotten away to. I've been looking all over for you, Rhea."

Rhea felt Goten go stiff and; from her peripheral vision, so did Gohan, Trunks, and Uub. Pan and Marron had very dirty looks on their faces, and Daren was whispering calming words to Natalia; whose face was flushed bright red with her ire. With a soft sigh, she turned in Goten's arms and faced her Aunt and her rapist head-on...

* * *

**To be continued... in part two. Yes, I'm cutting the Gala into two parts, because I want it to be just... intense and surprising. Things should smooth out after the rest of this encounter, but it depends on whether or not my brain wants to throw in another twist. I can't think of any more at the moment, but you never know. Much Love, SukiChan12^-^**


	14. Quando l'orologio batte le dodici pt 2

**Alright, so I was mad at myself for ending the last chapter the way I did, because even I wasn't sure how the encounter was going to go, and I, in a weird way, kind of cliff-hanged myself. Hehe, anyways, I'm going to finish up the Gala in this chapter, and, if the events pan out in the way I'd like, perhaps Goten and Rhea could have their first kiss. Probably not, because it's a bit too early for them, seeing as they don't have a history like Natalia and Daren do. *sniff* would be nice though. Enough about my woes, let's see how the chapter pans out.**

* * *

**No POV**

Pan frowned and placed his hands on Trunks' chest, "I feel like we're throwing her to the wolves; just _standing_ here, not doing anything to keep her from having to face him." Trunks kissed her forehead tenderly, "you sound like a mother when you talk like this. I know you want to protect her; I do, too, but sometimes you've got to let stuff happen as it may."

"You make it sound easier than it is." Pan said in reply, turning her gaze to the two couples locked in conversation...

Rhea gulped as she gave her aunt a tentative smile, "so, you're the infamous Aunt Mavis." Goten's brows raised; he hadn't expected her to go for a bold approach, but then again, when had Rhea done anything he'd expected her to do?

"The one and only. Darling, you look absolutely adorable, tonight." Mavis cooed, leaning in to kiss both of her cheeks in rapid succession. Rhea struggled to keep her disgust with this woman at bay. After what she'd done to Talia, she dared to try to be all _buddy-buddy_ with her? _The nerve_, Rhea commented silently.

Rhea frowned, thinking of the sensual design of her dress. The damn thing hugged each and every inch of her body that it covered, only loosening to provide for the deep vee that came close to her waist, and the flare of the skirt at her knees. The backless part was even slicked to her skin.

"Adorable is meant for children. This is clearly not a child, dear." Loren said drolly, and then smiled at Rhea, "it's nice to meet you again; under... better circumstances." Her eyes widened with horror and shock, and her hands tightened on Goten's, which were resting on her hips. _Better circumstances?! He can't possibly mean... oh kami, he's sick if he thinks that he can just..._

Marron, who'd been loitering nearby with Pan, gasped, "He did _not_ just say that." Trunks rushed over and pulled both girls away from the scene as their hands began to clench into fists, or spread into deadly claws, "_now_ is not the time to go into mother bear mode, you two."

"Shut _up_, Trunks." Pan hissed, lopping him in the arm. _Hard_. He groaned and grasped the side of his shoulder, "Dammit, woman that hurt."

"_Good_. Remember that when I put you on the balcony tonight."

"_B-Balcony_? What about the _couch_?"

*meanwhile*

"Better circumstances... what are you talking about?" Rhea asked, barely keeping the stutter out of her voice as she lied, "I've never met you in my life-"

"Don't lie, dear." Mavis cut in coolly, "I know what happened between you two. You fucked my husband and had his children. You think you can just flaunt them around in the hopes of getting something out of it, but it's not going to happen. How'd a slut like you even get in here? Did you use Daddy's name to get in? They should've stopped you at the door, walking around in... _that_."

Mavis looked at her dress in revulsion, "This is a formal affair, not a strip joint. Don't get this place confused with your work place; these people are far too classy for the likes of you."

Rhea's eyes widened, "I never... what do..." Loren smirked, and she hissed, "He's lying... I would never... I can't..." Goten pulled her away, glaring at both Mavis and Loren, "come near her again, and both of you are as good as dead."

"Hey, you're the one who brought a whore to the prom." Loren said with a smirk, "don't take it out on us-" His little rant was cut off as Goten lunged at him, fists cocked. Gohan and Trunks pulled away from their respective dates, going to break up the scuffle before it turned into a massacre...

*meanwhile*

Rhea stumbled her way back to the table and took a seat next to her cousin, still numbly absorbing what she'd heard. Natalia grasped her shoulders, "sweetie, what happened?" Rhea bit her lip and looked down at her lap, fighting off tears of disbelief, "Talia, I need to get out of here. _Please_. I _can't_ take this anymore."

Natalia looked up, looking around for Goten. To her shock and slight satisfaction, she saw Gohan, Trunks, Goku, Uub, and Vegeta pulling him away from a bruised faced, bloodied nosed, and busted lips Loren, who lay on the ballroom floor with her aunt squealing over him.

"Pan, what the hell happened?"

Pan looked over at Talia, "Clearly, my uncle snapped. I've been waiting for this all night." The Son woman rushed to Rhea's side, "sweetie, you want me take you back to Daren's?" the smaller woman shook her head, "I'll wait for Goten." The women watched as the men dragged Goten out onto the balcony, and then Pan and Marron began to follow. Without a word, Talia, Rhea, and Daren followed them.

*outside*

"Goten, what the hell happened in there?" Gohan asked once they were ensconced in the hotel garden, "I told you to keep your head-"

Goten growled fiercely, "_You_ didn't hear what they said to her! _You_ didn't hear that _fat bitch_ call Rhea a fucking _whore_ when she did _nothing_ to deserve it! So _don't_ tell me to keep _my_ head on when we _all_ know you'd blow the fucking _solar system_ sky high if someone said that about Videl!"

"Goten, it's over now." Videl said soothingly, "you got to punch his face in, and you weren't even caught on camera or by security." Goten shook his head, though visibly calming in his sister in-law's presence, "it's not over until he's dead. That's the only way I can be sure she'll never have to feel that way again."

"Goten, sweetie, what do you mean?" Chichi asked softly, placing a hand on his cheek.

"I love her, mom." Goten told his mother softly, "I should've noticed sooner. All I want to do is make her feel safe, loved, and happy. I don't want her to feel sad, alone, or hurt ever again, and I can't do that if she has to bask in the presence of her rapist all night long. I just... Kami, I love her so much."

*outside of the garden*

"..."

Rhea didn't know what to say. She was rendered speechless by the abrupt passion in Goten's voice as he told his mother how he felt about her. The other girls hadn't noticed her stop and continued into the garden, leaving her standing outside of it, dazed.

_Goten... loves me?_ She asked herself, truly startled by this, _how? How can he love someone like me? Someone so tainted; so... broken? It can't be. It's a lie. There's no way someone as pure and innocent as Goten could love someone like... like me_.

With that, she walked into the garden, ignoring the sound of foot steps behind her. She came to the very center where everyone stood and looked Goten in the eye, "why are you lying to them?"

"Rhea, what-"

"I heard everything you said and it... it can't be true." Rhea told him softly but firmly, "You can't... Goten, you can't love me. Something like that... it's _inconceivable_. Impossible. We're from two totally different worlds; worlds that aren't meant to come together, and I can't... I won't..."

"I know you can't trust my words." Goten told her, voice soft, "you've been hurt and abused by so many that it's impossible for you to take anyone's word to heart, but I'll do you one better. I'll prove that I love you. Even if I have to kill myself doing it, I'll prove to you that I love you."

"Goten... don't do this."

"Rhea, I know you're scared of letting yourself believe that; for some '_inconceivable_' reason, I love you, but please... let me prove my love for you. I'm not asking for anything serious and that would make you uncomfortable. We'll do it at your pace, sweet heart, I promise." Goten got down on his knees before her and took both of her hands in his.

Rhea's lips trembled as the tears she'd been fighting all night made a reappearance; this time for a different reason. She nodded mutely and squeezed his hands, pulling on them to tell him to get up. Goten climbed back to his feet and hugged her to his chest, "I'm so sorry."

"What? Why?" Rhea asked softly. Goten kissed the top of her head, "I should've stayed with you and comforted you instead of losing my cool and punching his lights out." She shook her head, "I'm glad you hit him. I wish I'd been able to, though." Goten chuckled softly, "how about I teach you a few things."

Rhea giggled, "Sorry, but Pan and Marron already beat you to the punch. They're going to teach me." Goten frowned, "Awww, well... at least you can't say that you didn't have good teachers."

"Damn right she has good teachers." Pan said, raising a fist in the air, "She will be the... seventh most kick ass woman on the face of this earth."

"Who's the first?" Marron asked, truly curious.

"Two words. My. Grandmother."

"Oooo; well played."

"Indeed."

Goten rolled his eyes at the duo and turned back to Rhea, "two totally insane; but good, teachers." She burst into a fit of giggles and then shivered, realizing that it was the end of December. Goten wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek.

"What do you say we sneak back in, hide out in one of the suites, and watch the ball drop on the big screen?" Pan suggested, "I hate hosting these damn things, it's so not worth the waste of time."

"I'll grab some champagne." Videl volunteered, dragging her husband back to the hotel. Pan whooped, kicked off her heels and ran back to the building with Marron screaming behind her, "You'll get the dress dirty!"

"It's not my wedding dress, so it's okay!"

"_So_!"

Talia rolled her eyes, took off her own shoes, and ran back to the hotel, hand in hand with Daren. Rhea remained snuggled into Goten's chest, more than content to be there. It was her new favorite place in the world. The sound of footsteps reemerged, and both of them looked up as Bra came into the garden.

"Oh, great. I'm willing to bet you heard everything." Rhea said coolly, "if you're here to hold my past over me, then fine, I really don't care. I have Goten, and that's all that matters." Goten kissed the top of her head lovingly.

"I'm not here for that. I'm here to tell you that you passed my little test. Do me a favor and treat him a hell of a lot better than I did." Bra said softly, smiling at Rhea, "you deserve him more than I thought I did when we first got together, and I'm glad he's found someone who'll treat him right."

"I'll treat him right, but not for the sake of your guilty conscience. I'll do right by him for myself and no one else." Rhea told the blue haired princess firmly, "and I'm no idiot; I knew it was a test when you came into the ball tonight. What kind of engaged woman can flirt with another man in front of her fiancé and get away with it without having some sort of agreement in place?"

"Caught me red-handed." Bra said with a wink, "and Rhea?" Rhea raised a brow, "Hm?" Bra smirked softly, "stay strong, and; for the love of Kami, have faith in yourself." The bluenette left them alone and oddly content.

"Want to go watch the ball drop with everyone else?"

"Of course." Rhea replied, and then squealed as Goten scooped her up in his arms and ran back to the hotel.

*a bit later*

Rhea sighed softly as her dress fell from her body to pool on the floor in a puddle of shimmery blue silk, and then bent down to put it on the hanger. She loved the hell out of that dress, and had never felt more beautiful than she did while wearing it.

She dug through her bag for a pair of soft, light blue sweats, some fuzzy blue house boots, and a black hoodie and put them on. She then washed her face of any make up, got the pins out of her hair, removed her jewelry and put everything back in the closet in the suite before going to Pan's room.

When Rhea arrived, everyone was lounging on the sofas, the guest bed, and the soft Chanel carpeted floor, watching the New Year's Eve show. Pan had laid out some handmade snack platters on the coffee table and in the kitchen, and Trunks was manning the mini-bar.

Goten noticed her and pushed Uub off of the bed to make room for her. Rhea laughed at Uub's indignant yell and laid down next to Goten on the comfy bed. The two of them scooted up to the head of the bed, leaving the foot of it free for Gohan and Videl.

Marron danced over to the curtains and pulled them open so they'd be able to see the fireworks display when the ball finally dropped. Trunks finished fixing drinks and dragged Pan over to the couch. He sat down with his back against it and pulled his fiancée down to sit between his legs. She giggled and lay against his chest, leaning her head in the crook of his neck.

Bulma and Vegeta were in an armchair just behind the couch. Chichi and Goku were on the couch with Krillin and Juuhachi. Daren and Natalia were on the other couch, curled up, and Uub and Marron were on the floor by their couch. Bra and Juunana were lying on the floor in between the big screen and the main couch. The guest bed was off to the side, tucked into an alcove between the door to the kitchen and the door to Pan and Trunks' master bed room.

Videl and Gohan decided to lie on the floor in front of the bed so they wouldn't block Goten and Rhea's view of the television. Pan got up and turned off all of the lights so the only like came from the half-moon outside and the television, and then returned to her fiancé's arms.

"It's 11:48, guys." Bulma called out, truly excited. Vegeta shushed her, "quiet, woman, the show is on." Bulma rolled her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder again, her eyes on the big screen.

Rhea curled deeper into Goten's side, thinking about the events in the garden, where he'd confessed his feelings for her. She was starting to wonder... _did_ she feel the same way?

Goten was warm; he was everything she never knew she needed. Her personal ray of sunshine, no matter what. He fought to protect her honor and dignity; he was gentle and more than willing to take things at the pace she needed.

_I do_, she realized, _I do love him_. The tingle that she got in her heart when she played with her girls was always there when they were together, only far stronger, more intense and all-encompassing. The way her lips burned to meet his whenever he licked his lips. _I bet they're so soft..._

"It's 11:58, sweet heart." Goten whispered. With gentle movements, he rolled her onto her back on hovered above her on his elbows, careful not to kneel over her. She didn't stiffen or pull away, and for this he was glad. Gently, he pulled her into his arms so she was cradled against his chest and began to quietly count the seconds so only she'd hear.

All throughout the room, couples began to shift closer together and whisper the seconds as they passed, waiting eagerly for midnight to come.

"I can't wait to marry you next year." Trunks told Pan softly, brushing a curl out of her face. She blushed, "I can't wait to marry you next year, either, love."

_48... 47... 46... 45..._

"Our second year of marriage is about to start. How would you like to celebrate?" Marron asked coyly, nuzzling Uub's chin. "I think you can guess." He replied gruffly, pulling her closer to him so she could feel his answer. Marron's eyes widened, "do you want to leave early?"

"And miss my New Year's kiss? No thanks... we'll leave _after_ that."

_36... 35... 34...33..._

"This New Year's is a hell of a lot different than the last." Talia told Daren quietly, laying her head in the crook of his neck, "for one, I'm not being forced to sleep around to get by, and I have a real home now." Daren smirked, "and you're hopelessly in love with me." She giggled, "that, too," and then she looked down, "Daren, I wanted to do something special tonight. To celebrate, I mean."

Daren frowned, "You mean, like..." Talia nodded, "I'm not saying this because I think it's something I have to do. I want this, Daren." He nodded and kissed the top of her head, "we'll sneak off after the ball drops." Talia nodded and laid her head on his chest again.

_10... 9... 8... 7..._

"Goten, I..." Rhea began, and then looked down, blushing.

_6... 5... 4..._

"Rhea, what is it?"

_3... 2... 1..._

"Dammit," Rhea huffed, irritated with her shyness, "Goten, I... I love you, too."

_HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!_

Goten's eyes popped wide, and he seemed to be in a light state of shock. Rhea; feeling particularly emboldened, leaned up and pressed her lips to his for their first kiss. He didn't react to her kiss at first, and she started to pull away when his fingers laced through the hair at the back of her head and pulled her lips back to his.

It was amazing, and so much more than she thought it would be. Her body felt alive for the first time... ever. She felt like she just couldn't enough of him. Rhea moaned and grasped the collar of his shirt, pulling his face even closer than it already was.

Goten growled softly and nudged her lips with his tongue, asking for entry. She sighed, and parted her lips. Her tongue was tentative and meek, but she was a quick learner, and soon they were dueling. Finally; too soon in her opinion, Rhea had to come up for air, and she leaned her forehead against his, panting softly.

"You..." Goten panted, "you will be the death of me, you small woman." Rhea giggled dazedly and pulled on his shirt again, "Let's go. I think Pan and Trunks would like to bring in the New Year properly."

"Your room?" Goten asked softly, running a hand through her curls, "we can watch the fireworks on the balcony." She nodded her head, "we'll get some blankets out there... and cocoa." The other couples were trickling out of the room, and Pan was dragging her fiancé to the Master bedroom with a wicked light in her eye.

Goten helped Rhea get off of the bed and the two of them left the room hand-in-hand, headed for her suite. "I hope the walls aren't thin." The younger Son brother whispered to Rhea, "because that would suck." She giggled and slid her card into the slot before opening the door, "you're horrible. Come on, I'll mix up the cocoa, you get the blankets out on the balcony."

*meanwhile* **(lemony goodness alert) (Song: "**_**Speechless**_**" by: Beyonce)**

"Are you sure?" Daren asked as he carried Talia over the threshold of his room. She sighed irritably and bit his ear, enjoying the hiss that escaped him, and the tensing of his body as he became more aroused, "does that answer your question? Baby, I'm sure."

Daren laid Natalia down on the bed and crawled over her, kissing and sucking on the soft, baby-smooth skin of her throat. She moaned and threw her head back, baring more of the vulnerable skin to him. He kissed a trail up to her chin, and then made his way along the outline of her face, to her ear. She gasped and squealed softly as his teeth gently brushed the top of her ear, nibbling along the rim.

One of his hands slid down her torso and slipped under the hem of the long sleeved t-shirt she wore, massaging and kneading the skin of her lower abdomen for a moment, and then working his way up to her breasts. Talia crooned as his finger slid across the fabric over her right nipple, and then danced to the back of her bra.

"The clasp is in the front." Talia said softly, and Daren looked down at her flushed face, "you little minx, you thought of everything, didn't you?" she giggled and nodded, raising her arms so he could get her shirt off. Soft, barely audible mewls escaped her as he traced the underside of her bra with the tip of his finger before popping the clip open.

The cups fell away, revealing a pair of ivory mounds, crowned with pert pink tips. Daren grinned before leaning in and taking the left one in his mouth. The result was instantaneous. Talia began to coo and mewl, gripping the hair on his head in her tiny fist. The other hand was entangled in the bed sheets. Her hips jerked off of the bed, colliding with his torso.

"Hold on, amore." Daren cooed, kissing down her abdomen. She hissed as his tongue traced the line of her pants around her hips before his hands dipped into the hem of the sweats and pushed them down her legs, kissing each and every trace of skin he unearthed.

Talia moaned and sighed; she'd never felt this good while she was... '_working_' if it could be called that. She never could find any pleasure in her job; it was like she was being _used_ for other's pleasure, which; in essence, _was_ her job. She felt compelled to return the favor, but she had gut feeling that Daren wouldn't let her. She was going to try anyway.

Talia's hands brushed the hem of his t-shirt, and Daren pushed them away with a soft shake of his head, "No, amore, this is all about you. I know your job never allowed you to receive any kind of pleasure, so I want you to know what's it's like to be on the _receiving_ end. It's all about what you want; don't worry about me."

His fingers looped around the lacy thong she wore and pulled that off as well. A small shiver ran up her spine as his blue eyes glowed with love and lust as he took her in, "you're a masterpiece..." she flushed, abashed, and he kissed the inside of her thigh before spreading her legs.

A strange mixture of a wail and a coo escaped her as his finger slipped between her lower lips and found her lust button. Her hips jerked off of the bed, and he chuckled softly, "_sii paziente_, mio amore."

His finger brushed over her button again, and she felt a fire roaring in her womb, begging to be extinguished. She cried out desperately, too aroused to form the words she needed to say. He seemed to understand her need, and, before she could even inhale properly, his finger was deep inside of her.

Talia froze, her body minutely shivering from the stimulation she was experiencing. The warm, thick digit began to massage her insides, gently coaxing her to relax and feel. She sighed, barely aware that her hips were mindlessly bucking and her insides were rhythmically squeezing and releasing his finger.

Daren shuddered as her essence glistened in the low light from the fireworks outside... wait. Reluctantly, he removed his finger and rushed over to the window to open the curtains. They were on the very top floor of the hotel; which was right by the ocean, providing them a clear view of the fireworks. Before Talia could mewl out a complaint he'd resumed his work on her supple body.

"Dai, amore, fatevi sentire." Talia whimpered as a _second_ finger joined the first; his native tongue was beyond sexy when it was _his_ voice caressing the words in a way that simply drove her wild. She drove her hips down on his fingers even harder; trying to find the edge she needed to put out the passionate flame that burned within her.

Daren cursed in Italian as her tunnel squeezed and milked his fingers. It felt like someone had their fist wrapped firmly around his hand, squeezing and releasing to an ancient rhythm, as old as time itself. Her back arched as he added a third digit to the party, and his mouth watered as her breasts jiggled in time with the bucking and gyration of her hips. He could see the muscles in her abdomen rippling and tensing as she strove to find her release.

Talia felt his finger brush against a place within her that she was sure had only existed in dreams. Her back arched, and a short scream left her as a burst of stimulation rushed through her. Kami, she was so close... so _so close..._ She wanted to climax so badly, but there was something she needed even more.

Daren jumped as Talia sat up and grabbed his hand, "I want you... Daren, please." He understood her at once and laid her back down before disrobing completely. He could feel the heat of her purple eyes roaming over the plains of his body, drinking him in like a cup of warm cocoa. Like a predator, he crawled between her legs and hooked them around his hips before sinking into her depths.

Talia bit back a scream as he filled her. Kami, she'd never felt as complete and full as she did right then, with him so intimately connected with her. Her lips found his as he began to set a quick, firm pace. She felt tears running down her cheeks at the beauty of it all. _Mom was right_ she realized, _there's nothing more beautiful than making love with your soul mate_. Right then, if she hadn't known that he was meant for her, then she definitely would've known then.

"Kami, Daren, I'm... so close..." Talia breathed, driving her hips up to meet his thrusts. Their eyes met, and he leaned in to kiss her again. She could feel him trembling and knew that he was reaching his end, much like she was. His thrusts became slower but firmer, and she couldn't help but squeak each time he hit her hot spot.

He whispered in fluent Italian, and she screamed his name as her walls constricted around his member, milking him for all he was worth. She could feel him releasing inside of her as she rode the waves of pleasure and fulfillment. Soon; far too soon, the last wave crashed over them, and they fell limply to the bed, ensconced in their favorite spots in the whole world. Daren peppered Talia's face in lazy, sleepy kisses as she lapsed into slumber.

*the next morning* **(Song: "**_**Two is better than one**_**" by Boys like Girls feat. Taylor Swift)**

The chill of the winter air woke Rhea up. She sat up from her curled up position against Goten's hard chest and looked around herself. The empty thermal of double chocolate cocoa sat on the patio table, with two half empty mugs next to it. She and Goten had fallen asleep under the fireworks, after sharing stories about themselves and their pasts and drinking hot cocoa.

_I'm probably going to be sick as a dog by tomorrow, but I don't care. This was the best night of my life,_ Rhea vowed, turning to look at Goten's sleeping face. He looked like a child when he slept; his face smooth and unfurrowed by the troubles of life. Her thumb brushed over his right brow as she caressed his face. His lids began to flutter, and she waited patiently for him to wake, yearning to look into his eyes.

Goten opened his eyes to the first rays of sunrise dancing off of the olive toned face of his personal angel. Rhea was perched on his chest, smiling softly. One of her hands rested above his heart, the other was on his right cheek. He grasped the hand on his cheek and pressed a kiss to her palm, "Happy New Year's."

Her answering smile was dazzling, "Happy new Year's, Goten." Goten gently cupped the back of neck and brought her face down to his, "how about a good morning kiss?" she blushed and didn't reply. He chuckled and pulled her face down to his, enjoying the feel of her lips molding against his, and the fireworks that danced behind his eyelids. After a few seconds, she pulled away with a loving peck on his forehead and crawled off of him, "come on, let's go downstairs and get breakfast."

Goten grinned her favorite grin and kicked the blankets off of him before following her out of the spacious suite and into the elevator to get to the continental breakfast.

*downstairs*

"This isn't surprising. We're the only ones who made it to breakfast." Goten chuckled, pulling Rhea along to a table towards the back. As soon as he said that, a glowing Videl and blushing Gohan got off of the elevator, followed by Pan, Trunks, Uub, Marron, Goku, and Chichi. Every single woman in the small group glowed with contentment.

"Well, we know what you got up to last night." Goten said, teasingly. Trunks started to tell him about what he _didn't_ get up to last night, but remembered the small presence of one Rhea Palladian and kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to embarrass her, and Pan, Marron, Chichi, Videl, Natalia, his mother, and Juuhachi would _kill_ him if he did.

"Let's eat and get checked out. New Year's potluck at CC at noon." Trunks said quietly, "and, I don't know about you, but I'd like to knock out some more Z's before then." Everyone nodded in agreement and headed over to the buffet line to get their sustenance.

"We could swing by the apartment, pick up the girls, and go to the potluck if you'd like." Goten suggested, smiling at Rhea. She nodded, "that sounds wonderful."

_I don't know what we should be labeled as,_ Rhea thought to herself, _but it's comfortable, and I like it_. She snuggled into Goten's side as her cousin and Daren emerged from the elevator, watching the other couples stumble around like zombies. She was simply happy to be a part of this family.

* * *

**And that wraps just about everything up. Mavis is a bitch, isn't she? No worries; I'll give her... maybe four more chapters before she gets put out of the picture. I can't tell you exactly how that'll occur; it's up in the air, but she's on her way out as I type. Chapter fifteen will start with the potluck at CC and continue from there. You know the drill, people. Much Love, SukiChan12^-^**

**P.S. How was the lemon? I haven't written one in ages, and I felt a little rusty, hence the song. For the lemon, there were actually two songs. The one I put and "**_**The Other Side**_**" by Jason Derulo.**

**One last thing, before you all start worrying about the speed at which Goten and Rhea's relationship is going, it's going to slow down. There won't be any lemons for them in the next ten chapters; just strictly kissing and hugging.**

–**SukiChan12^-^**


	15. Colpire al Cuore della Fortezza

**Well, I'm making pretty good headway with this story. We're going to resume with Goten and Rhea, and perhaps we'll see Pan, Marron, and Bra talking things out. Meh. Let's get started. We'll eventually get to the potluck luncheon thing.**

* * *

**No POV**

Daren unlocked the door and let everyone inside. Rhea headed into the kitchen, "Lāori?"

A head of curly auburn locks popped out of a guest bedroom down the hall, and a heavily pregnant Lāori made her way into the kitchen. She looked all four of them up and down, grinning. Daren gave her a look, "Lāori, no." She pouted, "you always ruin my fun, big brother."

"Did the girls behave?" Rhea asked softly, and Lāori smiled, "like absolute angels. Belle caught a bit of a fever, though, but it broke earlier this morning." Rhea thanked her and went into the guest room that the girls shared, eager to see her girls.

Both twins were curled up together under the covers, sleeping soundly. Rhea giggled and brushed a hand over their cheeks. Baili's blue eyes fluttered open, "Mummy?"

"Hi, sweetie." Rhea said softly, "we've got to be quiet because Belle's still sleeping." Baili nodded and crawled out of the sheets to hug her mother. Rhea scooped her up and kissed the top of her curly head, "I missed you, honey."

Goten leaned in the doorway, watching his girlfriend interact with her children. It was such a beautiful sight to behold, because both of them looked almost exactly like her and the aura around them overflowed with unconditional love. Rhea looked over her shoulder at him, and Baili's big blue eyes met his midnight ones.

"Mummy, what's the nice man doing here?" She inquired, and Rhea smiled, "He's mummy's new friend. His name is Goten." Baili nodded and squirmed a bit to signal that she wanted to be let down. Rhea placed her on the floor and grinned as she walked up to Goten, a curious light in her blue eyes.

"Are you a super hero like superman?" Baili asked curiously, and Goten knelt down to her level, "How about we let your mom be the judge of that," and ruffled her curls, "you three are coming with me to some place special."

Baili turned to face her mother, who had just coaxed Belle awake, "really, mummy? We're going somewhere special?" Rhea grinned, "Yeah, we're going to eat somewhere." Baili squealed with delight and threw her little body into Goten's arms, "thanks, Mr. Goten." Goten laughed and hugged her back, "you're welcome, kiddo."

"Come on ladies," Rhea clapped her hands once, "we need to pick out something to wear to the nice luncheon." Belle climbed out of bed and went over to the closet that held all of her and her sister's clothing and shoes with her mother in tow.

"Rey, I'm going to run back to my apartment and freshen up before we go. I'll see you when I get back." Goten told her softly, and Rhea nodded once before walking up to him, "I'll see you, then." The son of Goku ran his hand through her soft, raven curls before planting a soft, loving kiss on her lips and leaving the room. Rhea watched him go, enjoying the left over tingle of her lips as he departed.

*later*

Both of the girls were dressed presentably in white winter dresses with black cardigans and maryjanes with frilly socks, and their curls were up in pigtails with small white bows to hold them. Rhea herself wore an off-white cowl neck sweater with a dark blue shirt underneath, a pair of blue jeans, and some cream-colored winter boots. Her hair hung down to the middle of her back in their natural, curly state.

Talia wore a dark green sweater dress with a pair of black tights and some black boots with a heel. Her hair was pulled back from her face in a low, braided bun. Daren matched her with a pair of black slacks, a dark green button up, and some black dress shoes.

Rhea grinned jubilantly when the doorbell rang and rushed to answer the door, knowing exactly who it was. She wasn't disappointed when she opened the door, revealing one devilishly handsome Son Goten.

"Hey, beautiful." Goten greeted softly, looking her over, "we match."

Goten wore an off-white high necked pull-over sweater with a zip-collar, and a dark blue shirt with a round collar underneath. His legs were sheathed in blue jeans, and he wore a pair of black Polo boots on his feet.

"How'd you..." Rhea shook her head and dragged him into the apartment, "never mind." He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her forehead, "you look beautiful, Rey." She blushed as her cousin and Daren came into the foyer with the twins, Lāori, and Jason in tow.

"Shall we?"

*downstairs*

Rhea buckled both of the girls in the back seat of Goten's car and made sure they were secure before sliding into the passenger seat. Goten closed the door behind her and rushed around to the driver's side.

"Ready to go?" He asked as he started the car. Rhea nodded and buckled her seatbelt as he pulled away from the curb, "I guess it's about time I meet everyone officially, huh?" Goten shrugged, "If you say so. I have to warn you, though. My family and Trunks' family... well, they're crazy. You'll see when we get there."

Rhea rolled her eyes skywards and turned to look out of the window as they rolled through the streets of West City, enjoying the view of the skyscrapers and listening to her angels playing quietly in the back seat.

*At CC*

"Oh, it's so nice to finally meet you up close!"

Rhea jumped as her car door was ripped open, and she was tugged out of the car, and into the arms of one Bulma Briefs. The woman hugged her tightly and warmly, like they were old friends. She pulled away and looked her over, "you are just _darling_! I'm glad we've gotten a chance to meet without all those damned cameras getting in the way."

Rhea blushed furiously and smiled, "It's nice to meet you, Bulma." Goten came to her rescue and pulled Bulma away from her, "Aunt B, you're scaring her; give her some space to breathe." Rhea giggled softly as Bulma hugged him, asking why she hadn't seen him in forever, and turned to free the girls from the backseat.

Baili and Belle got out and grabbed onto her hands, wary of all the new people around them. Rhea squeezed their hands and closed the car door before returning to Goten. Baili reached up to him, and he picked her up, perching her in his arms. Belle preferred to snuggle in her mother's arms, and Rhea quickly scooped her up.

Goten's hand took her free one, and they entered the building. Videl, Chichi, Pan, and Marron noticed them at once and rushed over to them, smiling widely.

"Oh, they are so _cute_." Chichi gushed, looking both of them over, and Marron nodded in agreement. Pan poked Baili in the stomach, "I haven't seen you in a while, small fry." Baili giggled and reached out to her, and Pan grinned before taking her from Goten.

Belle hid under her mother's hair, looking at everyone warily. She noticed Marron, however, and wanted to go with her instead. Rhea laughed softly and passed her to the blonde, who kissed Belle's forehead before perching her on her hip, "Hi, sweet pea. How've you been?"

"We've been around them a bit more than you guys." Pan told her mother and grandmother quietly, "and Bails likes me a lot." Baili, who was on her lap, nodded eagerly, "Auntie Pan is cool."

Rhea's eyes widened, "when did you start calling her Auntie?" Baili blushed and mumbled, "When she was in the new house more." Her mother smiled and kissed her forehead. Goten wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in for a quick peck, "I've gotta go help the other guys set up. I'll see you when it's time to eat." She smiled, "Alright. I love you."

"I love you, too." The second kiss was a bit longer and more substantial than the first, and all four women looked at Rhea, wide-eyed when Goten made his way to the dining room to help out.

"'I_ love you'_?" Pan asked softly, "When did you two reach the '_I love you_' stage?" Rhea blushed, "last night, err... this morning when the ball dropped."

"Awww," Marron cooed, "that sound so _romantic_." Pan nudged her, "calm down, Maz." Marron blushed furiously and hit Pan in return.

"It really is romantic, Panny." Chichi said softly, "makes me think of the olden days, when your grandfather and I had first gotten married." Videl nodded in wistful agreement, "the first few days of being married to Gohan were some of the most special and intimate days we've shared."

"What about the day when you found out that you were pregnant with me?" Pan asked, truly curious. "Yes, that was special, too. How could I forget the day I found out I was pregnant with my first; and last, child?" Videl asked incredulous.

"Yeah, about that... why don't I have any younger siblings?"

"You don't want to know..." Videl said in a muted tone, and Chichi laughed before answering her granddaughter, "she doesn't want to go into labor again."

Pan scoffed, "Mama, you could've hired a surrogate and did envitro." Videl rolled her eyes, "like hell was I going to risk some woman running off with something I made in her uterus." Everyone burst out laughing at the cool tone her voice had taken on.

"_What_? I'm completely serious."

The women; if anything, laughed harder, and Videl rolled her eyes before joining in with the fun.

*luncheon*

Baili chose to sit with her favored Auntie Pan, and Belle chose to sit with Auntie Maz, leaving Rhea to sit with Goten contently. Natalia and Daren sat on her other side, and Pan, Trunks, Uub, and Marron were across from them.

"This food is so good." Rhea whispered, shoving a mouthful of macaroni salad into her mouth. Goten chuckled around the food he was swallowing, "My mother, Videl, and Bulma made all of it." Rhea gasped, "But there's so much food... Wow..."

"Rey," Natalia nudged her cousin, "be quiet and eat." Rhea blushed and continued to eat in silence as her cousin laughed quietly at her childish awe.

As Rhea ate, she began to look at some of the faces at the table, trying to catalog each one. If memory served her correctly, that was Yamcha, the famous baseball player, and... _Why_ didn't Goten tell her his father was Son Goku? She could see it now that they were both in her eye sight at the same time. The resemblance was uncanny. As many as Chichi said her husband's name was Goku, and Goten's last name was Son, it had never dawned on her.

Bra was sitting down the table, away from them, and she was tucked under Juunana's arm, whispering in his ear. Rhea watched the couple interact quietly, and then looked around the table at all the other couples, noting the things they did out of habit.

While eating, Videl would sometimes lay her head on Gohan's shoulder, and; if his mouth wasn't bouncing, then he'd kiss the top of her head or smile at her. Chichi and Goku's gazes would meet between chewing, and then they'd smile lovingly before going back to eating. Vegeta's eyes would occasionally flick to Bulma's face, and; if she caught him, she'd grin at him, and he'd smirk back.

Trunks would wrap his arm around the back of Pan's chair and pull her over to him so he could kiss her on the cheek, and Pan would roll her eyes before scooting away again. Uub liked to lay his head on Marron's shoulder, and she liked to kiss him on his forehead and flick the front of his Mohawk with her finger.

Rhea smiled, simply enjoying all the love flowing around her. It was very rare to be in the presence of so much of it, and she was going to enjoy it...

*after lunch*

"So, Trunks, when can I set up a court date?" Talia asked, sitting on the couch across from Trunks and Pan. The President of CC frowned, "definitely as soon as possible. We don't exactly know when she's going to strike again."

Rhea shivered in her spot on Goten's lap; the memory of that man whispering threats in her ear was fresh in her mind. Goten's arms tightened around her, and he said, "wouldn't it be easier if they stayed in a house with capable people. No offense, Daren, but... you're not exactly a skilled fighter."

Daren nodded, "None taken. I supposed it would be safer, but who's got a big enough house?" All eyes flicked to Pan and Trunks.

"We've got four guest bedrooms, and that's not including the rooms we're saving for our children. Have at it." Pan said with a laugh.

"We're moving again... why is this not surprising?" Talia said sarcastically, smiling over at her cousin, who shrugged, "perhaps it's going to become routine."

While everyone was discussing the plans, Rhea pulled Goten out into the hall to talk quietly. She squeezed his hand and murmured, "I was thinking... would it be easier for you if the girls and I stayed with you, instead of going to Trunks and Pan's house with Natalia and Daren? I'm not getting any ideas," she backtracked, "but I was just curious."

Goten bit his lip, "this is a pretty big step you're talking about, sweet heart. Are you sure that you want to stay with me?" she nodded, "I don't want to intrude on them, and I feel safer when I'm with you."

"You definitely wouldn't be intruding, but I won't object if you felt better staying with me." Goten told her, pulling her into his chest, "don't be afraid to tell me these things, sweet heart." Rhea laid her head on his chest, listening to the thrum of his heart. _Kami, why can't I just stay here forever?_

Goten kissed the top of her head, wondering how he'd managed to win the affections of this small, insanely beautiful angel in his arms. She looked up at him with her enchanting green eyes and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss his chin.

"I love you, Rhea."

She sighed, _I'll never get tired of hearing him say that..._

The new couple remained in their intimate embrace for a while longer, and then made their way back into the lounge where the others were. To Goten's surprise, Pan, Marron, and Bra were standing by the windows, talking quietly and civilly.

"I know." Trunks said softly as he and Rhea sat down, "it's a bit... surprising." Goten nodded, still watching the women curiously. Belle made her little way over to her mother, who scooped her up and sat her on her lap. The little one laid her head on Rhea's chest with a soft sigh, and her mother ran her fingers through her soft curls, "Tired, baby?"

Belle's reply was a soft yawn, and snuggling deeper into her mother. Rhea laughed softly and hugged her baby girl to her body, rocking her body to soothe her into slumber. Goten chuckled as Belle's big green eyes began to droop when Rhea started humming a soothing lullaby under her breath.

Baili hopped up onto Goten's lap and lap her head on his chest, and he laughed as she gripped his shirt while moving around to get comfortable. Once she was satisfied, Baili relaxed and Goten wrapped his arms around the tired cherub as she began to lapse into her own slumber. Her blue eyes slipped closed and she mumbled something before falling asleep.

"You can lay the girls down in one of the guest bedrooms if you'd like." Bulma suggested softly from the doorway, and Rhea smiled, securing her hold on Belle before rising to her feet, "come on, Goten." Goten stood up, and the two of them followed Bulma out of the room.

Trunks watched them go with a small smile on his face, _Goten's going to win best damn father of the year if he keeps it up._

*With the women*

"It's a new year. We should've done this two years ago, huh?" Pan asked softly, looking at her blue haired friend apologetically. Bra shrugged, "I just wished you'd just kicked my ass and called it a day instead of dragging me through the coals."

"I couldn't do that while you were preg..." Pan trailed off at the flash of pain in Bra's eyes, "I'm sorry for bringing it up." Bra shook her head, "no, it's fine. I'm learning to move past it."

"Sweetie, it's partially our fault," Marron began softly; "if we hadn't stressed you out by being such ignorant bitches, then maybe you wouldn't have gotten sick and miscarried. You had more than enough to deal with as it was."

"I brought the stress on myself when I cheated on Goten." Bra mumbled, tears welling up in her eyes, "I stabbed him in the back and he'd never done anything to deserve it. Why didn't I just break things off, first? He never should've been hurt like that."

"Darling, either way it would've hurt him, and sometimes you get caught up in the moment and you lose yourself. Whether or not you'd broken up with him or cheated on him, he would've been hurt when you started dating Juunana."

"I should've broken things off; at least then I wouldn't have been constantly looking over my shoulder every time I went to see Juunana and putting stress on myself and the baby... I was such a bitch; why are you even forgiving me?" Bra whimpered, "I don't deserve it."

Pan pulled her into a tight hug, "because best friends aren't meant to part ways like this; on bitter terms. You will always be my best friend, no matter what kind of shit you pull." Bra pulled away and smiled tearfully at her, "How the hell do you do that? You always know how to make me stop crying and smile."

"Maybe it's just her natural charm." Marron said with a giggle, "so, are we done here?" Bra and Pan looked at each other for a second, and then nodded, saying in unison, "we're done here." The two of them fell over in a fit of girlish giggling.

"So... Bra, I'm kind of in need of a maid of honor... would you happen to know anyone that's willing?"

*_smack_*

"Of course I'll do it! But you'll have to be mine, too."

More giggling ensued, and Trunks frowned. Since the girls were sitting behind the third couch in the lounge, it seriously looked; for all intents and purposes, like the couch was the one doing all the giggling and squealing. He rolled his eyes at that and relaxed against the sofa, waiting for his fiancée to emerge.

*meanwhile*

Goten sat in an armchair near the bedroom window, looking out over the front lawn of Capsule Corp. Rhea was reclining on the bed with the girls curled up against her side. She studied their angelic, sleeping faces as they slept peacefully, and then looked over at Goten, admiring the innocent look of his face as he examined whatever was outside of the window. Neither of them spoke, they really didn't need to; with the sleeping children and all, but the silence was comfortable and relaxing, rather than forced and awkward. A soft smile caressed her lips, and her gaze flicked down to her children once more.

Goten frowned, staring out of the window curiously. He'd seen that same black SUV drive by the road in front of CC at least five times since he'd been sitting there. He stood up, and Rhea looked at him worriedly, "Goten, what is it?"

"Some weird black truck keeps driving by. I'm going to go tell Bulma; I'll be back in a bit." Goten replied softly, coming around the bed to kiss her on the cheek before leaving the room. Rhea watched the door close behind him, and then rolled out of the bed to go look for herself. She pushed the blinds aside a little; just enough to peek, and looked out onto the road, searching for this SUV. When she did see it, she stifled a horrified gasp.

The passenger window was open, and inside, she could see a scary-looking man sitting inside, talking on his cellphone to kami-knows-who. Now, however, that she knew that Mavis wanted Talia dead, she figured that these were the people who she'd hired to do the job. Rhea closed the blinds and bit her lip, trying to think of what to do.

_I'll go tell Talia..._ She nodded to herself and left the room, closing the door behind her. As she turned into the main hallway that led to the elevator down to the first floor, anarm came out of nowhere and wrapped around her torso. The small woman cried out and tried to break away, but forced herself to freeze as the cold metal of a gun barrel pressed against her temple. Tears stung at her eyes as she stood stock-still, waiting for the trigger to be pulled.

The person wielding the gun moved around in front of her, keeping the pistol fixated on the smooth skin of her forehead as he shifted around her. The man looked like an everyday CC janitorial employee; by clothing, but his face was dreadfully familiar, and Rhea felt her stomach drop to the center of the earth as terror trickled into her mind.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, doll?"

It was the same man who tried to accost her outside of the makeup salon, and this time, Pan wasn't here to save her. This time, she was on her own...

* * *

**Ohohohoho... I am pure evil, aren't I? A cliffhanger... again? Alrighty now, so Rhea only has so much time to stall this guy until Goten gets back from talking to Bulma... but who said that Bulma would be easy for him to find. What's going to happen next chapter? Let me tell you... I don't know myself. Keep an eye out for the update on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday; at the latest, Wednesday. R and R, folks.**

**-SukiChan12^-^**


	16. Mettere in Stallo

**I feel god-awful for not updating this in so long. I've just taken on perhaps what may be the biggest responsibility ever since I got on here and started writing, and it's driving me nuts. I'm currently working on about nine to ten fics. Many of them are side projects, but yeah, I'm incredibly swamped right now.**

* * *

**Alright, we left off with Rhea being held at gun point, and Goten going to tell Bulma about the strange SUV outside. Rhea discovered that she knew the truck, and went to go tell Natalia, but got accosted by Silas. That's where we'll resume. Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

**No POV**

Rhea fought to control her shivering body as the cold metal rested almost lazily against her temple. Silas smirked at her obvious fear, "it's too bad that a pretty little thing like you has to die, and your cousin, too. I heard she used to be a whore. Wish I could've had the chance to explore that wicked body of hers. Eh, maybe I'll get to have a sample later..."

"Don't talk about her like that." Rhea snapped, "She didn't have a choice-" her teeth clicked on metal as he shoved muzzle of the gun in her mouth to silence her. Rhea's eyes drifted down to the fake ID on his chest. _Dean Powell_...

"I didn't ask you to speak. Talk out of term again and there'll be a hole where your jaw used to be." Silas hissed coolly, and then smirked, "There's another gun I'd love to have those pretty red lips wrapped around." Rhea bit back a moan of disgust as he lewdly gestured to his groin area.

"Here's the deal, sweet cakes. I need you to get yourself and your cousin outside. I don't care what kind of excuse you come up with, but your asses better be outside with no stragglers. If that Son bitch shows up, then the both of you are as good as dead." Silas held up a black box with a red button.

"If you don't follow through, then this whole place is going to be blasted to kingdom come. You wouldn't want to be responsible for the death of your kids now would you?"

Rhea shook her head, and he pulled the barrel out of her mouth, "Good girl, now run along an-"

"What the hell is going on here?"

Rhea peered beyond the man's shoulder, staring into the angry face of her boyfriend. Silas looked over his shoulder and smirked, "you always got a backup plan, don't ya, girly?" Rhea whimpered as the gun was aimed at her face once more.

"You got out unscathed the last time... I want to see some bloodshed."

Quick as a wink, Silas slid a knife out of the sleeve of his janitor shirt, and stabbed her in the lower left side of her abdomen. She screamed out and Goten began to surge forward with killing intent glowing in his midnight eyes.

"Not so fast, pretty boy." Silas released his hold on the knife and dragged Rhea around so she was pinned against him with the gun at her temple. Goten slowed, gritting his teeth angrily as blood began to stain her white sweater, "what the hell do you want with her?"

"Her life." Silas shrugged, "it makes no difference to me whether she dies here or elsewhere, but I'd rather it be the former; so long as I get my money. Either you let us leave, or I'll splatter her brains all over this fucking hallway."

"You're the one that Mavis hired."

"_Bingo_, we have a winner. If you're wondering why I haven't gotten to that sexy whore of a cousin of hers yet, then just wait... _all_ in _due_ time." Silas' free hand gripped the knife handle and began to slowly twist it. Rhea closed her eyes and moaned in pain, trying to wriggle a bit to alleviate the discomfort and tugging of torn skin.

"I'm not letting you leave with her-"

Rhea, driven by desperation and pain, somehow managed to dislodge both of Silas' hands and tried to make a break for the hall way to the room where the twins were napping. Time seemed to slow down, and Goten felt like he was moving through a vat of molasses as he tried to move to protect the woman he loved.

Silas shouted in anger and aimed the gun in her general direction before firing blindly. Rhea screeched as the bullet whizzed through the skin of her right thigh, but didn't falter and retreated into the hall. Goten felt a blistering wave of rage and hatred rip through him; hatred that had to be dispelled on the source.

Goten grabbed Silas by the collar and knocked his gun away before he could do anything more drastic. Silas pushed yet another knife out of his coat sleeve and stabbed Goten in the shoulder... or tried to. Where the blade had met his skin, it simply bent back as if repelled by him. Goten looked up at the man with a smirk, "surprise, surprise," noting the growing fear in his eyes.

"What the fuck? What the hell are you, you fucking creep?" Silas floundered in his grip, trying to keep his cool while Goten pinned him with a cold yet burning glare.

"Your _worst_ nightmare, you piece of shit." Goten growled before flinging his fist into his face, knocking him out cold. Gohan, Trunks, and Pan, who'd sensed the rise in Goten's ki, made their way upstairs just as Goten threw Silas into the wall with a feral roar, preparing to take his life.

"Uncle G, relax." Pan breathed, making her way to his side, "where's Rhea?" Goten nodded towards the hallway jerkily, "he hurt her." Pan rushed to aid her friend, leaving the males to calm Goten down. Gohan and Trunks grabbed him by the arms and dragged him away for he did something he'd regret... or they did something that they would regret.

"Come on, Go-chan," Gohan murmured, "it's alright."

The two men sat Goten down against the wall in another hall so he couldn't see the bastard that hurt Rhea. The younger man took deep, shuddering breaths as he tried to stamp out the inferno of negative emotion roiling in his head.

Gohan ruffled his little brother's hair, "you cool, bro?" Goten shook his head, "I want that bastard dead..." Trunks glanced towards the other hallway, and then looked back at his friend, "forget about him. Who you need to be thinking about is Rhea." Goten nodded and put his head between his knees, breathing slowly and evenly to slow his heart rate and clear his mind.

*Rhea*

Rhea moaned and pushed herself onto her hands and knees, trying to see the damage to her thigh. Judging by the two holes, the bullet wasn't still in her, but it had just barely grazed under her skin. The wound bled a bit much for a shallow wound, and it hurt like hell fire. The knife he'd used to stab her had to be serrated, as she could feel the edges tugging on her skin with her every shift.

"Rhea?"

Rhea managed to raise her head, "Pan?" Pan knelt beside her, "oh, sweetie, you're a mess." The smaller woman grunted in pain, "where's Goten?" Pan stroked her hair, "he'll be along soon; let's worry about you for now." She noticed the knife handle in her abdomen and flinched, "first things first, we need to get this knife out of you."

Pan had a basic understanding of removing knives and sharp objects. She would need to cauterize the wound as soon as the knife was out, but she didn't have anything hot enough... other than her ki; which was dangerous and would hurt Rhea horribly. She gently helped Rhea to lie down, "I'm going to get my father so we can get the knife out. Just lie down and try to relax."

When she emerged from the hall, Pan noticed Uub, Juunana, Marron, and Bra had joined the party. Her mother and grandmother were also there. She gestured to her father and Gohan frowned worriedly before walking over to his daughter, "what is it, Pan-chan?"

"She's got a knife stuck in her lower abdomen, and we need to get it out. You're kind of the only one here with a PhD." Pan murmured, "Marron and I can hold her down while you get it out, unless Bulma's got something to knock her out with, and she most likely does."

Videl, who'd overheard, murmured, "I'll go check with Bulma. Why don't you get her to the medical bay downstairs?" Pan nodded and led her father back to the hallway where she'd left Rhea.

The hurt young woman looked up at them both, and Gohan immediately moved to pick her up and carry her downstairs. Rhea sighed wearily and laid her head in the crook of his neck. Pan helped her father get her situated in his arms and the two of them made their way down to the medical bay.

Videl was already waiting by one of the bed, already setting it up with sheets and pillows. Gohan set her down on the table, carefully so as not to jostle her wounds. Rhea moaned pitifully, trying to curl up into a ball, but Pan and Videl coaxed her into lying flat.

"We need to get these bloody clothes off of her." Videl murmured, grabbing a pair of surgical scissors. Gohan left the room to preserve Rhea's dignity, and Videl began to cut the white fabric of her sweater carefully. Rhea, who wasn't fully aware due to the pain making her delirious, began to mix reality in with vivid flashbacks of her past, and she cried out a plea for them to stop.

"Shhh, sweetie, we're not going to hurt you." Videl crooned, cutting a line straight up through her blouse, "we just want to help." Rhea refused to relax, and continued to whimper as they worked her clothing off of her and covered her with surgical drapes. Pan moved to the head of the bed and cupped her cheek, "do you want me to get Goten?"

Rhea frowned; did she trust Goten enough to be around her while she wasn't clothed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been naked with someone else present, and the few memories she drew weren't too pleasant. _Goten loves me_, she rationed, _he'd never do anything to hurt me_. Rhea nodded, "I want Goten here."

Pan brushed a hand over her forehead, "I'll go get him, sweetie, hang in there," and rushed back up to the second floor to get her uncle. When she got there, she noticed Uub and Vegeta watching over the unconscious mercenary, but moved to the narrow hallway where the men had set her uncle down.

Goten looked up at Pan when she approached, "how is she?" Pan placed a hand on his shoulder, "she's panicking a little bit and she asked for you. Come with me." The youngest son of Goku rose from the floor and followed his niece back down the stairs, making a barely audible growl rumble in his chest when he passed the prostrate mercenary.

When they reached the medical bay, Goten moved from his niece's side to go to the aid of the woman he loved. Rhea's face; pale with fear, brightened considerably when she looked up into his eyes, "Goten?" He nodded and kissed her forehead, "I'm right here."

"Rhea, are you ready to go under?" Gohan inquired softly, holding up an oxygen mask. She nodded firmly and Goten took the mask from his brother and placed it over her face. She smiled at him and closed her eyes as the strawberry scented knockout drug began to fill her nostrils, clouding her senses.

*a bit later*

Gohan glanced at the bloody knife resting on a metal tray and winced. He was methodically stitching Rhea's stomach wound up. The wound on her leg was already stitched up and wrapped in gauze, and now, he had to put a bandage on this one. As he worked, he couldn't help but smile as his brother sat attentively at her side. The more he got to know the small young woman, the more endearing she became. She was becoming like a little sister to him; something he'd secretly always wanted, but he was perfectly fine with Goten.

_Baby bro, you've definitely grown up_, Gohan thought, looking at his brother. Goten was completely focused on Rhea's sleeping face, gently smoothing the furrows in her face when she began to tense in her slumber. _And you've gotten yourself a wonderful little angel here_.

The oldest son of Goku tied the last stitch off and cut the end pieces before lathing some antiseptic ointment onto it. Once that was done, he grabbed an adhesive gauze bandage and firmly pressed it to the wound. When he was sure it was firmly in place, Gohan moved away and removed his bloodied gloves before pulling the surgical mask off of his face.

"I'm going to tu run some oxygen into the mask to ease her into waking up. In the meantime, she'll be a bit sore and groggy. I used a lot of anesthetic on her leg and even more for the abdomen wound, because I didn't want her to feel it in her sleep and start thrashing. She'll need a prescription for some pain meds and some crutches. The bullet passed through a bit deeper than I thought it did, but she'll be perfectly fine."

Goten smiled, "thanks, big bro." Gohan clapped him on the shoulder, "let's go get some coffee while the girls get her into some more comfortable clothing." He made sure to turn the oxygen machine on low before the two brothers left the room.

Natalia, Pan, Chichi, and Videl made their way in and rushed to Rhea's side. The little woman was sound asleep; under her own power, as the gas had worn off. Natalia laid the comfort clothing to the side and gently removed the surgical sheet covering her chest, moving quickly to put the bra on her. She hated having to move her cousin around when she was clearly in some amount of pain; even in sleep, but she had to get her dressed, otherwise she'd freak out when she woke. Knowing her past experiences, Natalia knew that Rhea wouldn't take waking up naked in a strange place too well.

Pan shimmed a pair of soft cotton boy shorts up Rhea's legs, making certain that she didn't disturb the wound on the side. Her mother passed her a pair of black sweats, and she began to working those up Rhea's legs.

Chichi pulled a pristine white tank top over Rhea's head and pushed her arms into the correct holes before pulling the top down. Once that was done, she grabbed one of Goten's favorite jumpers and slid the little lady's arms into the sleeves, pulling the jacket snuggly around her. Videl put a pair of warm pink socks on her feet and declared her comfortably dressed before leaving to grab Goten and her husband.

*upstairs*

"Goten, Gohan, she's dressed."

Videl peered into the kitchen curiously. Both men had been leaning against the counter in Bulma's kitchen, each holding a steaming mug of hot coffee, talking about kami knew what. Both of them looked at her with identical midnight eyes, and she grinned at them, "talking about the meaning of life?"

"If you mean you, love," Gohan began teasingly, "then yes." Videl rolled her eyes and hit him on the arm, "I'm well aware of the fact that I'm the meaning of your life, but I wasn't just talking to you. Goten?"

"Rhea, too." The younger Son brother scratched the back of his head sheepishly, blushing up a storm. Videl squealed and hugged him, "oh, you are so cute when you're embarrassed. I still have trouble believing that the adorable little seven year old boy I met in high school is now a grown man who's deeply in love with the most wonderful angel since our Pan-chan."

_Pan; an angel?_ Goten thought to himself, _never in a million years!_

Gohan's gaze met Goten's, and the elder brother rolled his eyes skyward, "she tends to have these rare spaz attacks. I think she either has Tourette's or her father has rubbed more than just his unique eyes off on her."

Videl gasped and hit him, "I am nothing like my nutty oaf of a father!" Gohan continued to laugh as his wife assaulted him, and Goten rolled his eyes before leaving the kitchen. When Videl started hitting on Gohan, it only meant that _one_ thing was bound to happen in the near future, and he really didn't want to think of his big brother and sister like... _that_.

"Videl, for the record..." Goten trailed off, a light teasing tone in his voice, "you must have a different Pan in mind, because your daughter is _not_ an angel." He then evacuated the premises before either of Pan's parents could kill him.

*Rhea*

Rhea groaned softly as she opened her eyes to the bright lights above, and then closed them again to block out the light. She could feel a dull, throbbing ache in her stomach and in her leg, and her body just felt so heavy, like she was packed with liquid lead. The earlier events began to pass through her mind, and she opened her eyes, squinting them to keep the light out, "Goten?"

Goten, who'd been coming down the stairs with his brother and sister in-law, heard her small, weak voice and phased across the room to her side, "Sweet heart? How are you feeling?"

"I... I don't really know. I hurt but it's really dull, and my body's heavy." Rhea said slowly, and Goten stifled a laugh. She sounded like she was coming down from some kind of narcotic high. His hands brushed through her waves, "well, a bullet went through the top few layer of your skin; _right_ under the surface to be exact, hence the two wounds, and you had a serrated knife in your stomach. It didn't wound anything vital, though."

"Oh..." Rhea mumbled, "So I'm okay?" Goten nodded with a chuckle, "yes, sweet heart, you're fine." She pouted at him, "don't laugh at the injured, Son Goten." This time, her voice was sharp and firm.

Pan laughed, "We'll make a mini-grandma Chichi out of her, yet." Goten frowned at his niece before looking his girlfriend over, "I don't know, Panny... she's too cute to be scary." Pan rolled her eyes, "you said the same thing about me at my first tenkaichi... and _who_ lost that match? I do believe it was my seventeen year old Uncle, squealing like a girl."

Gohan coughed to hide the sudden spasm of laughter, and Videl pressed her face into his side, giggling wildly. Goten looked affronted, "that's not funny; she used her girlish wiles to lull me into a sense of security before she kicked my ass. I was helpless!" If anything, the laughter grew in volume and in number, and Goten hid his blushing face in Rhea's hair. Rhea giggled and patted the back of his head, "It's okay, sweet heart, I believe you."

This time it was Pan who looked affronted. "Hey," she cried indignantly, "he'd seen me train before; he knew full well what I was capable of!"

"I'm his girlfriend, Panny, it's my job to console him and tell he's right even when he's not." Rhea said with a yawn, leaning her head up against Goten's, "I feel so drained." She looked at Goten, "When I called you name after I woke up, you just... appeared right over me. What's up with that? Are you magically gifted or something, because I kind of heard you and Gohan talking on the stairs."

Goten's blush faded as she spoke, and his face slowly went pale; almost bone white. She'd noticed him phasing. He cursed himself for forgetting how observant she was.

_Crap. Where do I start explaining?_

For that question, Goten could find a satisfying answer. He was on his own this time and, judging by the adamant curiosity in Rhea's green eyes, she wasn't just going to let it go with some fudged up excuse. He needed to tell her the truth... but he didn't know how she'd take the truth. Would she even love him after he told her about his father's unique heritage and history?

Goten looked at his mother and big brother nervously, and their matching eyes reflected the exact answer to his question.

_I don't know..._

* * *

**Yet another cliffy graces this fic. I'm seriously trying to let these damn things go, but it's really hard. Everything I write seems to be coming to cliffies lately, and I don't like it! I promise the next chapter will be a normal, untied-ending, chapter. If it's not, then I give you free reign to torture me, lol.**

* * *

**Next chapter will feature Natalia pressing charges on her aunt, and Goten, Rhea, and the twins living in his apartment. Many of you will wonder why Rhea got hurt here when Goten **_**clearly **_**could've stopped it. Rhea's had about three run-ins with Mavis' mercenaries, and she's never gotten hurt. **_**Someone**_** needed to get hurt, and she was just in the right position. It could've been Talia, too.**

**As for Goten's slow reaction; you know time just seems to slow down when you lob a ball across the room and you just **_**know**_** it's going to knock over Mom's favorite vase. That's kind of what it was like for Goten, but on a much larger scale. I hope you liked the chapter.**

**-SukiChan12^-^**


	17. Termine della strada

**Still at a stand-still here. How is he going to explain the family secret? I'm going to wing it, lol, and hope for the best. Quick recap; Rhea was wounded in a scuffle between herself and Mavis's main mercenary, and, while under the influence of pain medication, was still able to tell that Goten was moving quite quickly, as he'd suddenly appeared at her side when he'd been on the stairs with Gohan a second before. She questioned Goten about this, and he was left trying figure out a way to explain it to her without running her off. Now, back to the story...**

* * *

**No POV**

Rhea rested on the ottoman in the longue, mulling over all the information she'd been instilled with. After Goten had divulged his story to her, she'd immediately asked to be left alone so she could digest everything that she'd been told. Even now, with all the demonstrations, she still couldn't believe what she'd been told. It felt too surreal to be reality.

_Uub's actually the reincarnate of a mythical monster, Marron's technically half-android, and everyone else is either human, alien, or a mixture of both. How could this possibly be true? It sounds like a bad sci-fi movie..._

The small woman rubbed a hand over the wound on her stomach, or where the wound used to be. Pan had given her a strange green bean to eat. It had tasted kami-awful, but when she swallowed it, all the pain she'd been feeling vanished, and her wounds were completely sealed up without even a scar to announce its temporary presence. Despite the apparent healing, she was still a bit tired from her ordeal and desired to rest while thinking everything over...

..._ Goten bit his lip nervous before asking her, "if I told you aliens were real, what would say?" Rhea frowned at him, "I'd think you'd gone stir-crazy, why?" A flash of hurt appeared in his eyes, and he murmured, "Because Gohan, Trunks, Bra, and I are half alien, and Pan's a quarter alien. Our fathers are full-blooded aliens from another planet."_

"_Goten, did you get hit in the head or something, there's no way you could be-"_

"_Then explain how quickly I was moving earlier, Rhea. You said it yourself, how was I moving so fast, and I'm giving you your explanation. We're not completely human." Goten said sternly, "now do you want the story or not?"_

"_Okay..." Rhea said nervously. She was a bit alarmed by how defensive Goten had gotten when she said he was crazy or that he'd hit his head._

"_My father and Vegeta are from a planet called Vegetasei; home to a race of warriors known as Saiyans. Vegeta was the prince of the planet prior to its destruction, and my father was born in the lower class, or third class. The planet was destroyed by a tyrant named Frieza because he was afraid of the legend of the Super Saiyan; an extremely powerful saiyan warrior, coming true. My father was sent away in a pod before its explosion and sent here. Frieza had taken Vegeta into his league of destructive minions."_

"_When my father landed on earth, he was found by a man named Gohan. He was a mean-spirited baby until he fell into a hole and hit his head on a rock. From then on, he was the nicest baby you'd ever meet. His saiyan name was Kakarot, but Gohan named him Goku."_

"_Wait a minute. He was a baby, what was there for him to forget?" She asked curiously, and Goten heaved a weary sigh, "Saiyans breed for strength, and every one of them is born with an innate sense of power lust and the desire to conquer. The weaker children, like my father, were sent off planet in space pods to conquer and purge distant worlds. Luckily, he developed amnesia and forgot every negative instinct he was inbred with."_

_Rhea nodded, slowly becoming interested in the story, "so Gohan raised him? That's who Gohan is named for, isn't it?" Goten chuckled and nodded, "Dad says he wishes we could've met Grampa Gohan... it's a sour subject for him, though."_

"_Full blooded and half-blooded saiyans are born with monkey tails." Gohan came over to Rhea's bedside, continuing the explanation, "Goten, Trunks, Bra, and Pan had theirs cut off when they were born because they're a bit cumbersome to deal with, and not in the way you might think. The full moon generates this energy called blutz waves and, when they come into contact with a saiyan with a tail, they transform into a giant ape with absolutely no inhibitions and begin destroying everything in their path."_

"_When my father transformed for the first time, he was just a boy, and, like any other saiyan, had little control over his Oozaru, or ape, form. In his blind rage, he killed Grampa Gohan. He didn't discover what he'd done until later on when it happened again. He was under the impression that a monster had done it, when it was actually him."_

_The small brunette blinked back tears, "that's terrible... he was just a child..." Goten ran a hand over her soft hair, "it's fine. Between Aunt Bulma and Mom, he's gotten over it. Let me tell you about how he met Bulma..."_

The adventures that spouted forth from his mouth were astounding, surreal, and all together amazing. The thought that two people could accomplish so much together was a surprising aspect to her. It shocked her that sweet Bulma could've been such a manipulative thing in her younger days, but it was also humorous that Goku had fallen for her trap.

"_In her younger days, my mother was a bit of a wild child. She knew; when she was just a child, that she would marry my father. Everyone thought she was just a crazy, obsessive girl, but she was right in the end." Goten said with a chuckle, "she's always been a bit clairvoyant. She knew that Gohan would end up married to Videl, and she knew that things between Bra and I wouldn't end well. She tried to warn me, but I never listened..."_

_*a bit later*_

"_They... they got married at the tenkaichi? That's so cute." Rhea murmured, smiling at Goten, "it suits them. A wedding fit for two warriors."_

"_Yeah, it did. Now, Gohan will have to help me with the rest of the story, because he was the one who experienced most of it first-hand." Goten motioned for his brother to come over, and Pan took a seat on Rhea's other side. Gohan stood at the foot of the bed, smirking wryly to himself._

"_When I was four years old, our dad took me to one of the reunions that he often has with his buddies. I got to meet Krillin, Bulma, and Master Roshi for the first time. Things went sour, however, when Raditz, my father's older brother, decided to crash the party. He revealed that my father wasn't human, but a saiyan from planet Vegeta, and that he'd come to collect him or whatever. My father didn't go for that."_

_Pan brushed a hand over Rhea's brow and smiled gently at her, "It gets even more interesting from here." Gohan rolled his eyes at his daughter, "as I was saying, my father refused to leave the planet with his brother, and he took it the wrong way. Raditz severely injured my father and took me as a consolation prize. He said that if my father didn't bring him a hundred dead humans, then he'd take me instead."_

_Rhea's eyes widened, "That's so cruel..."_

"_It gets worse, trust me."_

Rhea had been heralded with a plethora of stories from the earliest days of the Z-Senshi to Pan's excursion into space as a 14 year old. The quarter saiyan and her demi saiyan fiancé were more than happy to fill her in on the happenings of the Grand Tour, and Gohan learned a few things that he'd never been privy to in previous retellings of the trip, such as the mistreatment Pan went through at the hands of Dolltaki.

Pan had always been careful not to spill that particular can of beans while telling the story, but this time around, it simply slipped her mind. She didn't need her father going into one of his fiercely protective spiels, and, if her mother hadn't calmed him when she did, he certainly would have. Her mother had also been unaware; the story had been kept between herself and Trunks, and warned her that they would have to talk about it later.

Rhea had been aghast when she'd learned of the story. It was one thing to be able to fight back when someone tried to do things to you against your will, but she simply couldn't imagine being forced to lay there and take it. Though Pan hid it very well, some innate sense told Rhea that she still had a few lingering demons from the trip through space. That, however, was something she'd have to work through with her family.

The small brunette looked up from her twiddling thumbs as Pan gently led her two little cherubs into the room. Belle stumbled along, and Rhea frowned at her flushed face, "Belle, are you okay, honey?" Belle made a soft mewling sound and clambered into her mother's lap. The worried mother pressed a hand to her cheek and bit her lip at the feel of the heat emanating from her skin.

"I brought her to you because she kept asking for you, and she's started to get a bit feverish, as you can see." Pan murmured, and then smiled as Baili wormed her way into her mother's other arm. Rhea cradled her little angels in her arms and looked up at Pan, "could you get a cool towel for her face, please? If it's not too much trouble, that is."

"I'll be right back. Would you like Papa to check her out? He wouldn't mind it at all." The quarter saiyan suggested, and then glanced towards the hallway pointedly. Rhea followed her gaze and smiled softly at Goten, who'd been lingering in the hall since she'd made herself comfortable on the ottoman.

"That would be wonderful." Rhea said at last, and then sat Baili on the couch, "stay right here. I'll be right back with your sister." Baili nodded, her eyes watering with tears. Her mother pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head and walked towards Goten determinedly. She had her answer.

Goten looked worriedly at the little cherub nestled in Rhea's arms before the little spitfire grabbed the neck of his sweater and pulled him down to her level for a heated, passionate kiss. He immediately relaxed into the kiss before pulling away, "Rey, what-"

"I'm not turning you away, Goten. You didn't turn me away because of my sordid past, so why should I be a hypocrite?" Rhea murmured, "I love you too much, and I don't care that you're half alien. You could be half-octopus and I wouldn't care... though that would be kind of weird."

Goten chuckled softly and pulled her into a gentle hug before looking down at the angelic child in her arms once more, "what's wrong with the cherub?" Rhea brushed a hand over her daughter's curls and made a soft cooing noise to calm Belle as she whimpered quietly, "she's getting feverish again. Her virus is always bad around the winter time."

"Virus?"

"Yes, a virus. It's non-contagious, it causes her temperature to change drastically, and it weakens her immune system quite a bit." Rhea explained hastily, "I'm just glad she hasn't caught anything more serious than a cold at this point. She's too young to cope with anything more serious."

Gohan made his appearance then, "is there anywhere you'd like to do this, Rhea?" The mother shrugged, "somewhere child-friendly, so she won't be made uncomfortable by her surroundings."

"Use my old bedroom." Bra suggested, emerging from the kitchen, "it's got pink everywhere. I'd imagine she'd like it." Rhea nodded gratefully, and the blue haired woman led the way up the stairs, leaving Gohan and Goten standing in the hall.

Vegeta and Uub came from the back staircase, dragging Rhea's attacker between the two of them. Trunks brought up the rear, making sure the man didn't try anything slick. Goten felt a low growl rumbling in the base of his throat and fought to suppress the urge to avenge the honor of his mate. Gohan noticed his struggle and frowned as Vegeta and Uub came to a halt before the two brothers.

"This idiot human tried to attack your mate, mine, and the harpy you call your mother," Vegeta said dryly, "and then he tried to take one of those cyanide pills to end his pathetic existence, but we didn't allow him the luxury. When do those baka police arrive?"

Goten examined the man carefully, "where'd those bruises come from?" There was small purple mark at the man's right temple, and a slightly larger one at his jaw line. Vegeta snorted, "The android's brat and Kakarot's grandbrat saw fit to give him those when he tried to assault your mate, Kakabrat number one. I'm surprised he had enough sense left in him to try for the pill after that."

"Well, he wasn't about to put his grimy paws on my mother, that's for sure." Pan sauntered into the room with the cool towel she'd been requested to retrieve, "I hope he rots in prison." The small woman sniffed dismissively and made her way up the stairs.

"Just like her mother." Gohan mumbled, rolling his eyes skyward. Trunks nodded in agreement, "don't I know it."

"We heard that." Pan and Videl peeped down the stairs, shooting their mates meaningful looks before disappearing down the hall once more. Uub shivered, "talk about creepy, the way they always know when you're talking about them."

"The police should be here in another three to six minutes." Bulma came down the stairs, holding her cell phone. Her eyes narrowed at the barely conscious man hanging between Uub and her husband, "and I'll be ordering more thorough background checks from here on out. I'm not allowing another security breach like this."

"You could always let me do the checks, woman." Vegeta suggested sarcastically, "if they don't pass the test, then I'll blast them to-"

"No, Vegeta, I'm afraid I can't let you." Bulma said softly, "you're too violent." She smiled teasingly at her mate before making her way back up the stairs. Vegeta rolled his eyes, "you weren't complaining about that last night, woman."

"You'll be the one who's complaining when I slap your ass on the couch tonight, you arrogant monkey prince!" Bulma fired back readily, and then vanished down the hall, leaving an embarrassed saiyan prince behind.

*meanwhile*

Rhea placed Belle on the pink bedspread and brushed a hand over her forehead. Her skin was still very warm, almost stinging hot, and her worry over the little one began to grow. Gohan came in and gently placed a hand under Belle's jawline, testing her temperature for himself. Videl handed him a thermometer and he brushed his thumb over Belle's chin to get her attention.

"Sweet heart, I need you to stick this under your tongue for a while. Can you do that for me?" Gohan asked soothingly, in the voice he used for Pan when she was this age. The small child nodded and opened her mouth obediently.

"Good girl. I'll be sure to get you something special." Gohan put the thermometer in its proper place and kissed Belle's forehead as he waited for the reading to come out. Rhea smiled as Goten came to sit next to her on the bed, cradling Baili in his arms. After a while; too long in everyone's opinion, the thermometer sounded, and Gohan gently pulled it from Belle's mouth, patting her on the top of her head.

"102 flat..." Gohan said softly, "that's not good." Rhea's eyes began to water, and Goten pulled her into his side comfortingly, "Shhh, Gohan will take care of her." She buried her face in his neck and sobbed quietly. Baili was quickly becoming upset by her mother's drop in mood, and Videl stepped forward and took the little one from Goten's other arm.

"Shhh, angel, don't cry..." Pan had to smile as she watched her mother work her magic. Belle frowned, confused by the strange reactions. Gohan noticed her confusion and tapped her on the nose, "how about that reward?" she nodded eagerly, and Gohan left the room to find her a little present. Pan knelt down by the bed and wiped the child's face with a cool towel, smiling when she furrowed up her nose at the intrusion of her space.

"Hey," the quarter saiyan said softly, "it feels nice, doesn't it?" Belle nodded, and Pan laughed softly. Gohan returned with a bottle of children's Moltrin, a spoon, and a blueberry muffin. He knelt down beside Pan so he could look into Belle's little face, "Alright, sweet pea, if you can swallow a spoonful of this stuff, then you can have the muffin. Could you do that for me?" The three year old nodded furiously, and Gohan poured a spoonful of the light reddish-pink liquid into the spoon before offering it to her.

Belle swallowed the sweet medicine quickly, and then held her little hands out for the muffin. Gohan chuckled and placed the muffin in her hands. She immediately began to nibble at it, and he brushed a hand over her curls before rising to his feet.

"She'll need to get a tablespoon of this every four hours until her fever breaks." Rhea looked up when Gohan spoke to her and nodded, wiping at her face. "Until then, keep her busy, and try to bundle her up to help break it faster. She'll be fine. Do you think you could bring them both in to my office for a check-up?"

"I can do that, yes." Rhea murmured, and then smiled softly as Belle climbed into her lap with her muffin and continued to nibble away at it, "sometime next week?" Gohan nodded, "I'm open next Thursday at noon."

"Rhea, sweetie." Bulma peered into the crowded bedroom, "I may have called your parents and told them you got hurt earlier, but that you'd be fine..." Rhea's eyes popped wide, "what? Why?" Bulma looked at the floor sheepishly, "force of habit; I always called Chichi or Goku when Goten got himself into a mess over here. I just thought I'd warn you that they'd be here within the hour."

Pan placed a hand on top of Rhea's, "it's Fate. This is your chance to talk things out with her in a calm environment. Both of you can be relaxed and focused on the matter at hand, and keep a level head. Try taking her out to the nature dome; it should be peaceful and quiet enough."

Rhea gulped nervously, but nodded her acquiescence and looked down at her cherub. Belle was nearly done with her muffin, and she noticed that Baili looked a bit jealous of her sister. Videl noticed as well, "come on, angel; I'll get you a muffin, too." She left the room with Baili perched on her hip, and Rhea breathed a sigh of relief.

Goten grabbed a blanket from the bed and tucked it around Belle, who was beginning to drift off in her mother's arms. Bra took the wrapping from the muffin from Belle's hand and left to go dispose of it. Rhea gently shifted her daughter so she was lying on her stomach against her, and pulled the blanket closer around her. Belle yawned and snuggled closer to her mother before drifting off.

Goten kissed both Belle and Rhea on their foreheads and helped Rhea stand, "come on, it would be better if you were already downstairs when your parents got here." She nodded and followed him out of the room and down the stairs.

*outside*

A gentle breeze ruffled light blonde locks, sending a few stray strands billowing against a fair-skinned face. A soft shudder passed through her frame, and a small smile formed on her pink lips as a masculine, tanned arm wrapped around her slim waist and a pair of soft lips pressed against her cheek. Soft auburn curls brushed against her face as she turned against him to press her lips to his for a few seconds. After a moment, the couple parted and grasped hands as they continued their leisurely walk outside of Capsule Corp.

"You're enjoying yourself." Daren said softly as they moved along the walkways between the various domes. Natalia laughed lightly and smiled at her boyfriend, "well, I'm with you, and that's all that matters." He chuckled and squeezed her gloved hand, "I'm glad you enjoy my company."

"How could I not? You're amazing." Talia replied, and then squealed as he twirled her around in the cool air. The vapor of her breath in the air trailed around behind her as she squirmed away from him, giggling. Daren eyed the sky, taking in the slate grey clouds carefully, "looks like we might be seeing some snow soon."

"Weirdo. First, you were talking about me, now you talk about the weather. What, am I that boring?" Talia asked playfully, glancing up at the sky herself, "I remember when it would snow in the apartment... the heater was always broken and the roof would leak when it melted... made for some horrid sleeping conditions."

"You'll never have to worry about that again, and no, you aren't boring. You never could be if you tried." Daren told her plainly, pulling her hand to bring her back to his side, "you proved that you're far more than boring last night."

"You know, if I didn't love you, I'd be worried you were only after the sex." Talia teased, and then kissed the underside of his jaw, "I'm just hoping you didn't get me knocked up. Not yet, at least." He snorted and nuzzled her neck, "and if I did?"

"Then I guess we're going to be parents in about nine months." Talia muttered, and pranced away, "come on, we should go see if Uncle Nick and his fiancée are here yet." The two lovebirds linked hands before departing for the main CC dome.

*inside*

Rhea bit her lip nervously as she sat on the ottoman, cradling Belle in her arms. The cherub felt hotter than she did earlier, which clearly wasn't a good sign, and she was becoming even more worried as the time passed. Goten came back into the lounge with his brother and walked over to Rhea, taking a seat at her side.

"She feels warmer?" Gohan asked softly, producing a special thermometer for Belle's ear. He quickly stuck the end of it in the toddler's ear, waiting patiently for the reading. When the thermometer went off, after all of two minutes, his frown deepened, "she's closing in on 105. We'll have to take her to the hospital."

Rhea frowned, "would it affect anything if she doesn't have a birth certificate?" Gohan shrugged, "I'm not sure, but I guess we'll have to find out." The worried mother sighed wearily and bundled the blankets tighter around her little girl.

"Oh... what's wrong with Baby Belle?" Natalia and Daren made their way into the den, faces flushed from the cold, frigid January air. Rhea sighed softly, "Her fever's not breaking, so we have to go to the hospital." Talia's eyebrows went up and she made her way over to Rhea and Belle. The little one was awake once more, and looked positively miserable.

"Rhea, your parents are... oh..." Bulma paused at the doorway, Nicholas and Rebekah lingering behind her. The small brunette bit her lip, debating over her options. Goten decided for her and gently took Belle from her, "we'll go ahead of you. Take all the time you need." She nodded and stood up, walking out into the hall to face her parents.

"What's going on?" Nicholas asked once she was in range, pulling her into a hug, "Bulma said you were hurt." She kissed her father on the cheek, "I'm fine, Daddy, don't worry. It was fairly minor."

Nicholas sighed and nuzzled the top of her head, "what's wrong with Belle?" Rhea looked down, "she's got a really high fever and we need to take her to the hospital." Rebekah, who'd been standing idle, finally spoke up in a soft soprano, "We don't mind coming up to the hospital... if it's fine with you."

"I'm fine with it... uh, Mom? Could we... do you think we could... talk later?" Rhea inquired, looking at her mother warily. To her surprise and slight disappointment, the red haired woman nodded in agreement. The two of them were wondering what they would say, and how the conversation would go. The mother and daughter certainly weren't looking forward to finally hashing things out between themselves.

*at the hospital*

Rhea carried the blanket-wrapped Belle into the hospital, following Gohan and Goten as they led the way through the sterile halls, towards a room that Gohan had secured just for the little angel. Belle sneezed daintily, and her mother wiped her nose as they entered the room. The bed was furnished in what looked like Egyptian cotton, and there was a soft teddy bear sitting on the pillows. The mother frowned as she placed her child on the bed and began undressing her, "this must be a nice hospital to have such a nice room."

"Actually, this is just _this_ room that Gohan keeps for his priority; family, patients," Goten explained hastily, "none of the other rooms look quite like this because they don't have Bulma to furnish them." He passed Rhea a bag with some of Belle's pajamas in it and pulled the bed sheets back for her.

"Mummy..." Belle whimpered as Rhea pulled her pajama top over her head, "Mummy, I'm hot..." Her mother kissed her forehead lovingly, "I know baby girl, I know. Uncle Gohan's going to make you feel better." In the heat of the moment, she'd never noticed her mistake when she referred to Gohan, but both of the Son brothers did.

"She likes you, big bro." Goten said softly, nudging Gohan in the side. "I guess she does." The eldest responded, feeling warmth in his heart. It was wonderful to know that Rhea had that much trust in him. Goten was just happy to see her connecting so well with his family.

Once Belle was fully dressed, Rhea placed the little one under the sheets and pressed another kiss to her forehead as Gohan began setting up an I.V. of saline solution to keep her hydrated as the fever raged on. The trolley stood next to her bed, and he set a lock on the wheels before hanging two child-sized bags of the solute from the hooks. The practiced doctor then attached some tubing, applied a clamp to keep the fluid from escaping, and began preparing the cannula to insert in her small hand.

"Distract her, please." Gohan murmured. He didn't want Belle to see the needle and start having a panic attack in the bed. Rhea picked up the bear and placed it in Belle's immediate line of sight, making it dance around and talk in a silly voice to soothe the little angel. Belle giggled at the show, barely aware of Gohan deftly and gently sticking the needle into her vein. She only noticed when he taped the cannula down to her delicate skin, and even then she wasn't the slightest bit alarmed.

"Good girl," Gohan praised, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "I'll be sure to get you a special treat for being a good sport." Belle nodded, smiling, "tank you, Unca Gohan." Rhea's eyes widened, and she looked at Gohan worriedly. He shrugged her off, "I don't mind if she calls me that, Rhea, just relax," and made his way out of the room to find a good friend of his. She was a pediatrician, and her opinion would be very helpful in treating little Belle.

Goten and Rhea looked up with a smile as Videl came in with a sleeping Baili in her arms. Rhea's smile faltered some when her parents came in behind her with anxious looks on their faces. Nicholas placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder, "any change?"

"She's still as hot as she was before." Rhea murmured, and Goten spoke up, "she's in good hands with my older brother. He's gone to get a pediatrician to get a little more insight on Belle's condition." To his surprise, Nicholas frowned at him, "you are?"

"Oh, sorry. Where are my manners? I'm Goten Son, Rhea's boyfriend." Goten sheepishly scratched the back of his head with one hand and extended the other for a handshake. Nicholas' eyes widened, and he eyed his daughter questionably. Rhea rolled her eyes, "we've only been official for all of a day, and not even that long by technical standards."

Nicholas' gaze moved to Goten and he shook his hand slowly, trying to invoke a bit of fear as he did so, "so, you're dating my little girl, huh?" Goten nodded slowly, unsure of how to take this turn of events, "yes sir."

"Treat her right; or else. Understood?"

"I hear you loud and clear, Mr. Palladian." Goten said firmly, "she means the world to me, and I'd never do anything to harm her in any way." Rhea beamed at this and placed a hand on top of his. He turned his hand so their fingers clasped and gave her small hand a gentle squeeze in reassurance.

"You don't mind that she's had children by a... different than normal means?" Nicholas asked softly, skirting around the fact that his baby had been raped. Goten nodded, "I'm aware of that, sir, and it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Nothing could possibly tear me from her side."

"Daddy," Rhea said softly, "that's enough." Belle was calmly playing with her teddy bear, hardly paying an attention to the adults in her room. Videl took a seat in a chair by the window, still toting the snoozing Baili. Rebekah hung back, looking at her two granddaughters in awe. _They're so beautiful_, she thought, _just like their mother_.

Everyone became quiet and settled in for the wait. Goten sat in the chair next to Rhea and pulled her gently into his side. She laid her head on his chest and inhaled a lungful of his strong, masculine scent, fully content in his gentle hold. Her love chuckled, fully aware of the fact that she loved the smell of him. Their eyes drifted to the flush-faced cherub in the bed, and the ever-present worry set back in.

_Kami, I hope she'll be alright_, Rhea thought to herself, watching her baby play with her bear, _I don't think I can take losing one of my girls..._

*meanwhile*

Mavis looked up from her phone and whirled around in her office chair as the door to her office swung open. A tall brunette woman wearing a black pinstripe pantsuit and a pair of black rimmed glasses came in, carrying a small stack of paper and a briefcase. She seemed to be filled with purpose as she strode towards Mavis's desk, a cool, emotionless look on her face. The soft '_tmp tmp_' of her black pumps on the marble floor was the only audible noise.

Mavis smirked lightly as the woman came to a halt before her mahogany wood desk, "to what do I owe this pleasure, Ms.-"

"My name is none of your concern, Ms. Palladian," The woman cut in calmly, and then laid the stack of papers on her desk, "you've been served, ma'am. You're being summoned to court by a Ms. Natalia Johansen-Palladian. Good day, ma'am." Before Mavis could even _breathe_; let alone _think_ of a reply, the cold, calculating woman was gone, the sound of her pumps fading as she advanced down the hall to the elevator lobby of Bexel Corp.

Mavis inhaled...

A screech of pure rage ripped free from Mavis's throat as she began grabbing at anything she could reach, hurling it in any direction that she could. When that didn't satisfy her, she grabbed her phone and threw it straight through the full wall window of the office, ignoring the plinking noise as shards of glass hit the marble floor of the office. She screamed, she tore, she stomped, and finally... she cried.

The crazed woman slumped to the floor in the middle of her wrecked office, completely numbed by the onslaught of violent, turbulent emotion roiling through her at that moment. She didn't notice her bloody, broken, bruised fingers and palms, the gash leaking a thin stream of blood down the side of her face, or the small pieces of glass lodged into her forearms, chest, and calves. Instead, she stared at the ground with blank eyes, unable to process her misfortune.

On the floor, right in line with her blank gaze, laid the top page from the stack of papers announcing her court summons. The date was at the very top of the sheet, emblazed in bright red ink like fresh blood.

_February 1__st__, Mavis Doreen Palladian is to report to Satan City Court house promptly at eleven am to be tried for the following crimes..._

The hefty listing of her misdeeds went on to take up more than three quarters of the page, and some of the words were slightly smeared by her tears as they dribbled down her face and plopped from their perch on her chin. She curled into a ball on the floor and let the tears take her over, blubbering like a small child who'd lost at their favorite game.

In a way... she _had_ lost her favorite game, only this time, losing was going to cost her so much more as an adult than it would as a child. Mavis had never been a gracious loser, and this time wasn't any different. She would cry and kick and scream but; in the end, she would _always_ be the loser.

* * *

**So, how was that? I hope that Goten's explanation was clear enough for you guys. I worked hella hard on this chapter, trying to invoke as much emotion as possible. Next chapter will feature the talk between Rhea and her mother, and I don't intend to make it easy for either one of them, so look forward to that. I'll see you guys next chapter!**

**Inspiratorial songs: "_Take Me Away" _by Keyshia Cole: It helped me finish this chapter today, that's for sure!**

**-SukiChan12^-^**


	18. Panico e Disperazione

**Alright, where did we leave off? Yes, Belle's in the hospital for her fever, Rhea's on the verge of talking things out with her mother; something I thought was going in last chapter but wouldn't fit, and Mavis has received her court summons. Alrighty then, now that we've got things panned out, we can start the chapter. I want to start things off light, hence the debate about to take place here. This is three days after the last chapter.**

* * *

**No POV**

"Being an only child is _way_ better than having siblings." Pan suddenly declared as the group sat in the private waiting room Gohan had procured for them, "you get more benefits." Natalia stood up and slapped Pan a quick high five, "cheers to that, sister."

"Hey, now, what about when you want someone to play with?" Goten asked seriously, "what would you do then?"

"I had Marron and Bra." Pan shrugged, and Natalia nodded, "I had my cousins." Marron grinned, "I had Pan and Bra."

"They have a point, man," Trunks nudged Goten in the side, "I had you to play with. I was an only child for thirteen years. Would've been longer if Dad hadn't slipped up."

Bra, who was sitting a few chairs away, wailed, "_Hey_! That's so not fair!" Everyone started laughing and Bra continued to speak, "having an older sibling sucks all the fun out of having siblings. They ruin _everything_ for you."

"Oh yeah," Marron giggled, "You couldn't go to the mall without Trunks until you were seventeen." Pan snorted, "Which seriously _sucked _for you since you've been a shopaholic since you were like _five_."

"He'd never leave me alone." Bra whined, "It wasn't fair."

"Yep," Trunks said nostalgically, "I've crashed many a make out session in my day." He and Goten shared a glance, and the two of them burst out laughing, much to Bra's irritation. The bluenette crossed her arms over her chest and turned away to pout, much to everyone else's humor and amusement.

"We love you, Bra." Pan managed to sputter, wiping the tears of mirth from her cheeks. Bra huffed at the raven haired quarter saiyan, "bite me, Pan, bite me." To her surprise, Pan got up, walked over to her, grabbed her arm and nipped it before skipping back to her seat, "do you love me, now?"

Trunks wrapped an arm around her and nuzzled her cheek, looking at his little sister imploringly, "now who could resist such a sweet face? I know _I_ can't," and planted a firm kiss on Pan's lips. Pan flushed crimson as the others began to make catcalls and whoops, pulling away from him just as her father entered the waiting room.

"Papa, Trunks is molesting me again." Pan mock-whined, going to hide behind him, "protect me." Gohan laughed, "You're the one who said yes, so he's your problem now." He kissed Pan on the top of her head and looked around the room, "where's Rhea?"

"Little bit went on a walk with her mom." Uub supplied, and Goten playfulness ebbed as his worry for his girlfriend began to show through. Trunks noticed and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, "they'll be fine, 'Ten. Little bit's a tough one."

"Marron and I taught her some basic self-defense maneuvers, and how to throw a good punch." Pan said proudly, "and Mama taught her how to handle situations involving firearms."

"You managed that in _three_ days?" Trunks asked, truly impressed as his fiancée nodded, "what, women always learn faster than men. It's a known fact, dearest." Her fiancé pouted, and she giggled at him, "oh, stop, silly man."

"And Bra and I showed her how to use her feminine wiles to her advantage to distract a male attacker." Natalia grinned, "See, even females that don't train in martial arts can teach a thing or two about self-defense." Bra nodded in agreement, "weaker sex, my ass."

"I'm just trying to figure out how you made time to teach her while she was watching over Belle." Goten said, still awed by the women's many accomplishments with Rhea.

Pan smiled, "When Belle and Baili were asleep; we'd show her things. Little Bit catches on quick, so it was easy for us to teach her a lot," she smirked at her Uncle, "It's called multitasking, Uncle, but of course, men are unfamiliar with that particular skill."

"Oh, hush, Pan-chan." Goten snipped, and she and Marron shared a laugh.

*meanwhile*

Rhea stood in the small queue in the Starbucks on the first floor of the hospital, waiting to buy herself a large hot beverage. She was debating between a White Chocolate Mocha and a Peppermint Mocha. Her mother stood next to her, waiting for a chance to get herself a Caramel Macchiato. The two of them had yet to speak a single word to one another since Rhea had asked her mother to come with her, and the tension between the two of them was thick.

The person ahead of the duo made their order, and moved aside to wait, and Rhea took the opportunity to step up to the counter, "Can I get a venti White Chocolate Mocha Latte please?"

**(A/N: And that, above, is how you know I frequent Starbucks more than what's necessary. I have the sizes and my favorite drinks memorized, and even a few of the ones I don't drink.)**

The cashier gave her the price, and she quickly pulled out a few zeni to pay for the drink before letting her mother make her order. Rebekah stepped up to the counter and primly ordered, "I'd like a venti Caramel Macchiato with extra caramel and cream." The redhead placed her money in the hand of the cashier and accepted her receipt, all the while watching as her daughter searched the display of pastries for her favorite one.

Rhea grinned as she spotted the blueberry baguette and grabbed it before going to the register to pay for it. Their coffees were placed on the platform for finished orders and they grabbed them before leaving the coffee house. There was a park alongside the hospital, and they left through the lobby doors, unknowing of the eyes following them.

A burly, menacing figure clothed in black climbed out of a small sedan and began moving along the sidewalk at a normal pace, though he was careful to keep the two women in his sights. The crazy heiress would be pleased when she heard of his stroke of brilliance, that he was sure of.

She'd been a bit more crazy and persistent lately, urging them to take out the rest of her family as soon as possible. He couldn't imagine why anyone would want to kill off the majority of their own family, but the pay was good, so he didn't bother to ponder it any more than was necessary.

The man patted his waist to make sure his gun was still clipped to his belt loop before proceeding with his leisurely walk, eyeing his targets as they headed into the park, never any the wiser that they were being preyed upon.

*meanwhile*

"So…" Rebekah began softly, brushing a strand of her crimson hair behind an ear, "where would you like me to begin?"

Rhea bit into her baguette and chewed slowly before washing the bite down with some coffee, "the beginning would be wonderful. How did you start using drugs?"

Rebekah sighed deeply, "My older brother; your Uncle Rick, brought it into my life, but it was ultimately my decision to start using. My first drug was cocaine and I was about twelve, and it was the worst choice I've ever made in my life… other than pushing you away and hurting you, of course."

"How'd you meet Dad?" Rhea asked softly, "and how'd he get onto drugs."

"One of his friends brought him down to the house my supplier was dealing out of after they convinced him to try it," the red head murmured, remembering, "I'd been at it for two years by then, and; once he tried things out and decided he liked them, we started this acidic, destructive relationship that consisted of wild sex while on highs and snorting, smoking, and shooting up together."

Rebekah breathed a sigh, "We didn't realize that there was love in the relationship until I got pregnant with you. By then, we had our own place, just a dingy apartment with barely any furniture, and were using frequently. When I discovered I was pregnant, the both of us stopped using as much as we could without going into withdrawal; trying to keep you healthy."

"How did it pan out?"

"A dealer we knew used to be a doctor, and he delivered you in the house. You have a photo, don't you?" Rebekah asked, and; at her daughter's nod, she continued, "I had what I now know was severe post-partum depression, and started using again; even more often and with more amounts than before, whereas your father was using even less than he had before you were born."

"As you grew older, the depression brought out this anger that I couldn't understand and barely control. What confused me was…" the older woman took a tearful breath, "was that it was directed at _you_. You; the wonderful, innocent little angelic being that had somehow come out of our sham of a relationship. After that, I became a violent person, even while I was high, and it caused Nicky and I to fight."

Rebekah wiped at the tears dribbling down her cheeks, "I tried to explain to him that I didn't mean to do the things I did to you, but he wouldn't believe me, and he told me that he was sending you to Miss Hana, the lady you were supposed to meet at the station."

"She wasn't there… Momma, why didn't Daddy at least walk me down there to make sure I was safe?" Rhea asked solemnly, "I… a lot of the things I've been through could've been prevented if he'd just come with me or let me stay home-"

"No," Rebekah placed a gentle finger over her daughters lips, "even though I wish things had gone differently, you leaving helped us realize that we needed to get clean. Once I got cleaned up, all the anger and depression that had lingered around over the years lifted. It was the drugs that wouldn't allow me to heal and move on."

"It's still no excuse for how I treated you, but I want make it up to you," The older woman stepped in front of Rhea; pausing their stroll, and placed her hands on her shoulders, "it should have never happened. We never should've gotten on drugs, and you would have been safe; born into a healthy relationship."

Rhea's eyes watered and her mother opened her arms in welcome. The small brunette went into them readily, burrowing her face into the base of her mother's neck. Rebekah breathed a sigh of relief as she held her daughter in her arms for the first time in almost two decades, "never again… you're never leaving us-"

The red headed woman's words cut off as she looked over Rhea's head, into the dark, predator like gaze of a burly man… a burly man who was leveling a gun at the back of Rhea's head. Without thinking, the mother acted, throwing her daughter to the side as the gunman pulled the trigger.

Rhea cried out as she hit the hard ground, and then cowered with a scream as two shots rang through the small park. Several distant cries reached her ears as she covered herself, and then looked up. The first thing she noticed was the red. Silky crimson waves of hair in disarray on the dirt path, and a small, but slowly growing pool of blood under the still body of her mother. She focused on Rebekah's chest and noticed; with relief, that her chest was expanding with short, rapid rises and falls. Two red circles mingled together as they grew across the blue fabric of her sweater, staining it rich maroon.

The click of a gun being cocked caught her attention, and Rhea looked up as the gunman aimed at her. Her eyes stung with tears as she watched the man prepare to take her life. Her head fell, and sable curls swirled around her face, hiding it from his view. She refused to allow her killer the satisfaction of being the last thing she saw…

*in the hospital*

Goten's knee jiggled restlessly as he sat in the waiting room next to Trunks, waiting impatiently for his girlfriend to return from her walk with her mother. The lavender haired demi saiyan placed a hand on his knee, ceasing the jiggling, "dude, calm down, she's perfectly fine."

"I have a feeling… a niggling feeling that she's going to run into trouble… or she already has." The Son confessed, twiddling his thumbs at a dizzying speed, "I should've gone with them-"

"- and made things even more awkward than they already were. 'Ten, there are some battles you have to let Little Bit fight on her own. She's stronger than you think, man." Trunks murmured, "If I were in your place, I'd be worried shitless about Panny, but I'd let her go talk to her mother because she needs to reconcile with her."

"You forget the fact that she's being hunted down by a group of mercenaries who have slipped under the radar three times now. Once at the coffee shop, again at Daren's apartment and the debacle at Capsule Corp that ended up getting her shot. Now, am I qualified to worry myself shitless, now?" Goten asked coldly, standing up.

Trunks started to protest, but both of them froze as Rhea's small ki became a bit more noticeable, flaring brightly against the background of dull, human ki's. Their gazes met, and the two of them began to high tail it down the stairs and to the park next door.

*Park*

The gunman had decided to take the slow route and taunt Rhea, walking closer to her and eventually circling her as he regaled her with the proficiency in which he'd stalked her and her mother into the park. The crimson haired woman lay on the ground, slowly but surely bleeding her life away. Her breathing was slowing at an alarming rate, and Rhea knew she had to do something to buy her mother some time until help got here.

When Mister Gunman walked around in front of her, the small woman took her chances and lunged for the arm with the gun, twisting her body around the muzzle so he wouldn't have a chance to shoot her in the side. The man shouted in surprise and pulled the trigger, burying a bullet into the dirt path with a sharp crack. The two began to struggle, fighting desperately for dominance over the weapon.

While Rhea had her technique right when it came to removing a firearm from a dangerous individual, the one thing she didn't have was the strength to do so. The gunman buried his booted foot in her abdomen, kicking her away from him and; as she fell onto her back, fired the gun at her vulnerable chest.

**(A/N: This is the last time she gets shot; I promise, but it's also the first time that the person who shot her **_**won't **_**live to tell the tale…)**

Hot, blazing agony roared through her chest, fixated around her heart. The small woman managed a choked cry of pain before a volley of blood flooded up her throat and out of her mouth to spew over her shirt. Her vision began to blur, and she struggled to keep the man standing over her in focus. As he leveled the gun with her head; that was her assumption, she brought her leg up off of the ground and smashed her foot into his family jewels.

The gunman crumpled to the ground with a high pitched whine of pain as the violent stirring traveled up into his stomach, forming a ball of torture there. The gun bounced away into the undergrowth, vanishing from sight immediately.

Rhea whimpered through the blood gurgling up her throat, creating a few bubbles in the liquid at the opening of her esophagus, trying her hardest to ignore the pain radiating through her chest. Where she'd thought it would fade out, it had become a constant throb of merciless assault and she was barely staying sane with each torturous pulse of the wound. Rhea briefly wondered how she was still alive with a bullet in the left side of her chest cavity; possibly in her heart.

_Kami, just end it… please end the pain…_

*meanwhile*

Goten and Trunks followed Rhea's now muted ki signature through the thickets of shrubbery until they came across a strange; though macabre, scene. The worry nestled into Goten's heart melted into rage as he took in the gory scenery.

Rhea lay in a large pool of blood, blinking slowly as she gazed unfocused at the sky above. A red stain bloomed from the left side of her pink shirt, slowing growing with each slow pulse of her heart. She opened her mouth to draw in air, but coughed up a small spat of blood instead.

Rebekah was a bit more lucid than her daughter, but still quite out of sorts. She had two bullet wounds in her lower abdomen that didn't seem nearly as threatening as Rhea's, but still; the pool of blood beneath her said otherwise. Her fingers clenched and unclenched in the blood soaked dirt, and she called out Rhea's name brokenly.

A man lay on the ground near Rhea, groaning and whimpering like a child as he clutched at his manly parts. Goten forced his anger down and moved to kneel at his love's side, ignoring the stains that formed as the bloody dirt met the crispness of his jeans.

"Go-ot-e-" The brunette tried to rasp, but immediately coughed up more blood. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep her vision from going out of focus or going to sleep. Sleep. Sleep had never sounded better than it did now.

"Don't speak, Rey, just hang in there." Goten replied, and then turned his head as her assailant tried to rise to his feet. Trunks; who was tending to Rebekah, followed the movement with narrowed eyes. The urge to kill burned through their veins; stoked further by the pained mewls and blood-filled breaths escaping from Rhea as she fought to live.

"What the hell?"

Pan and Bra entered the small clearing, tailed by Gohan and Natalia. Talia took in her cousin and aunt with horrified eyes. Pan rushed to Rebekah's side, and Gohan moved to Rhea's side, both to examine her wound, and apprehend his brother if needed.

"Gohan, she's dying…" Goten said fiercely, "I have every right to kill him for what he's done to her."

"Goten…" Gohan started, but trailed off at the look on his younger brother's face, "fine; I'll get them both to Dende's so he can heal them up. Rhea's beyond the help of a senzu bean now."

The youngest son of Goku nodded once and pressed his lips to Rhea's forehead before gently transferring her to his brother's arms and standing to confront the bastard who dared to wound her so grievously. The gunman was working his way back to his feet, still wincing with each tug on his sore man parts.

Gohan stepped back, and then glanced down as Rhea mewled, a bit more blood dribbling from her mouth, "Shhh, little sister, I've got you."

The little brunette relaxed against him, and he frowned at the lethargic quality of her pulse before launching into flight for the Lookout. The oldest son of Goku could only hope that the shift in atmosphere wouldn't worsen her condition.

Trunks sent Pan after Gohan with Rebekah, ignoring her protests to stay behind with Goten. There were some things that a woman shouldn't be privy of witnessing, no matter if they were trained or not. The Prince sent Natalia and his sister back to the hospital with orders to send Uub, Goku, and his father back in case things got out of hand.

The brute finally stood at full height, eyeing Goten defensively, "What, punk? You never seen another man before?" The Son snorted, "I've never seen another man who got downed by a woman with a bullet wound in her chest. What a shame…"

"I don't give a fuck what she did to me; so long as that bitch and her mother finally die."

"She's not dead, you dumb ass." Trunks snapped, "She made it through." The mercenary's eyes widened, and he stomped the ground, grumbling angrily, and then cried, "There's no way; I shot her in the heart! She should be dead!"

"You did. She's stronger than you'll ever get to know. I won't allow you the chance to wound her again; not on my life." Goten growled, forming a ki blast in one hand. The man turned on his heel in fear of the lethal light, trying to make a break for it. He never cleared the underbrush.

With a feral roar, Goten released the blast, wiping one scum bag off of the face of the earth in a brilliant display of bright blue light. When it cleared, not even a speck of the villain remained. Goten released a pleased sigh and launched into flight for the Lookout, ignoring the calls of Trunks and his father.

"Your younger brat has more backbone than I gave him credit for, Kakarot." Vegeta told Goku, slightly impressed by the display, "You should be proud of how loyal he is to his mate." Both men knew that; if under the same circumstances, nothing short of universal annihilation would stop them from killing anyone who dared to hurt their wives.

*Lookout*

When Goten got to the Lookout, he was greeted by a solemn Dende and Mister Popo. The green skinned Kami of Earth led him to a small bedroom. Rhea was nestled in a comfy bed, dressed in a white gown. She snoozed quietly, and barely stirred when Goten sat on the edge of the bed.

"She's very lucky." Dende said softly, "if Gohan had been any slower, I wouldn't have been able to help her." Goten nodded and kissed her on the side of her face, "I don't know how to repay you, Dende. If I'd lost her…" he trailed off, unsure of how to finish. It was so surreal; the way Rhea had become the center of his entire world in such a short time.

"I know," Dende tapped his temple with a smile, "she'll make a full recovery. I wasn't able to heal her entirely, but what was left of the wound was a good amount less than the damage from before. Her lungs were impaired, and her heart was barely able to beat with the bullet lodged where it was. She's a lucky one."

The youngest son of Goku examined the bandages on the left side of Rhea's chest for a moment, and then looked up as Gohan entered the room, no longer wearing his hospital garb. He raised a brow at his younger brother as he checked Rhea's vitals, sighing as he received a nod in reply to his silent query.

"Goten…" Rhea mumbled, opening her eyes wide for a second, before falling into a half lidded position, "My chest is on fire."

"I'd imagine that's what happened when you take a nine millimeter bullet near the heart." Goten replied, brushing his thumb over her forehead, "how are you feeling?"

"Besides the fire? Just weak and achy," Rhea supplied, and then yawned, "and sleepy."

Gohan smiled and nudged her cheek, "I'm glad to hear that. Get some rest."

"Wait… where's Momma?"

Goten's eyes widened at the endearing derivative she used for her mother, "Uh… down the hall, right, Gohan?"

Gohan nodded, "she's still unconscious for now, but she's perfectly fine," and grinned, "don't worry about her; she's in very good hands."

"Thanks, Gohan." Rhea mumbled, already lolling back into her quiet slumber. Goten ran a hand through her curly hair, wincing at the blood soaked dirt that came with it, "couldn't you wash her hair or something?"

"I was more concerned for her health at the moment, Goten. I'll get Videl or Pan to handle it later." The eldest brother frowned, "how are you handling it?"

"Fine. He got what was coming to him; should've left her alone in the first place, the bastard." Goten grumbled angrily, cupping Rhea's soft cheek, "to think that I could've lost her today…"

"I know exactly what you mean. Remember that wreck Videl got into when she was barely eight months pregnant with Panny?" Goten nodded, "I remember. You were halfway out of your mind." Gohan nodded, "I nearly lost them both that day."

Gohan left them room to check up on Rebekah again, leaving Goten to his thoughts, and the soft breaths of his sleeping girlfriend. He grinned as she sighed and relaxed in her slumber, rolling closer to him on instinct and cupped her cheek again.

*back down on the planet*

"What do you mean Rhea got shot in the chest?" Videl hissed at her daughter, "how did this happen?" Pan rolled her eyes, "how do you think, Mama? There are trained killers after her, her parents, and Natalia. I _knew_ we should've let Goten at least follow them; this mess never should've happened."

"Where's her father?" Videl questioned, too keyed up to reprimand Pan for the tone she was taking with her. This whole situation had everyone a bit hyped.

"Still oblivious. We're going to have to explain things to him, but I think that's best left to Rhea; he'll probably take it better if he hears it from his daughter." Pan said, minding her tone this time, "another one slipped right under the radar."

"Well, we can't just put them on lock-down, Pan-chan," Chichi chided, "though I wish we could. It seems like they're singling out the poor angel."

"Because Natalia sticks closer to the rest of us, while Rhea has a tendency to leave the fold. She's obviously the easier target." Pan murmured, "and that needs to change, because Goten might just take out Mavis herself if something like this happens to her again, and _that_ kind of attention is the last thing we need."

Videl nodded once, "we'll take that up with Rhea when she gets back down to earth. Right now, we just have to keep her father busy so he won't start asking questions."

At that moment, Nicholas rounded the corner, deeply immersed in a serious conversation with Bulma concerning the whereabouts of his fiancée and daughter. Videl bit her lip, looking at her mother in-law and daughter in turn.

Bra came up to the trio, "we need to do some major damage control here. He found out about Mavis' schemes and he's… not pleased; an understatement if there ever was one. The man is _pissed_ and he wants his fiancée and his daughter where he can see them."

"_Seriously_? How'd he find that out?" Pan asked incredulously, and then narrowed her eyes at her blue-haired friend, "you really don't know how to keep your voice down while '_whispering_' so I'm going to assume _you're_ the one at fault here."

"Marron and I were discussing it and he overheard; sue me," the bluenette hissed, "do you have any idea when either of them will be able to come back down here?"

"I haven't heard from either Gohan or Goten, so I can't say." Videl murmured, and then nudged her daughter, "send Trunks or your Grandfather up there to find out what's what."

Pan nodded once and headed off to see which man she'd find first; her grandfather or her fiancé, biting on her bottom lip as she went. To her surprise and pleasure, her fiancé walked straight into her path and grabbed her by the forearms, "where're you headed, Panny?"

"I was just looking for you," Pan whispered, leaning in to give him a soft kiss, "Rhea's father overheard your sister and Marron talking about Mavis' plans and he really wants to know where Rebekah and Rhea are so he can be sure that they're safe. Mama told me to get you or Gramps to fly up to the Lookout and see how they're doing."

"I can do that…" Trunks murmured, and then ran a hand over her forehead, "Pan, why are you burning up?" She frowned at him, "I feel fine; what do you mean I'm burning up?" A small but sharp pain panged briefly in her stomach, near her belly button, and she flinched, pressing a hand against her stomach.

Trunks reacted protectively and telepathically asked Goku and his father to go to the Lookout in his stead, worried for his little quarter saiyan fiancée, "Panny, are you sure? You look like you're in pain."

Pan shook off his hands, "Trunks, I'm fine; stop worrying so much." Another pain hit in the same area, and she began massaging the area, "I just feel a little weird; nothing serious," she smiled reassuringly, "Saiyans can't get sick, remember?"

"Not to be an ass, Panny, but you're only a quarter saiyan and; if anything, you're more susceptible to illness than the rest of us," Trunks told her gently, "You've got a greater chance of getting sick." The lavender haired Prince frowned at his fiancée sternly, "and you should know you can't lie to me. I know you too well, and you're clearly in pain, Panny."

"It's just a little stomach pain, nothing serious," Pan snapped, "just _leave_ _it_ _alone_, Trunks." Before Trunks could comment any further, the small quarter saiyan female stomped back down the hall to her mother.

**(A/N: No, Pan is **_**not**_** pregnant. That guess is **_**way**_** off the marker if any of you thought that.)**

*later on*

The little stabs of pain persisted and Pan was quickly becoming rather irritable at their repeated prodding, and; to make things even worse, they seemed to be growing in intensity with every few seconds. The icing on the cake was that she'd begun to feel nauseated as time went on, and others seemed to think she had a fever whenever they touched her in any way.

"Mama, I am _fine_," Pan hissed, "just _leave_ me _alone_. I do _not _feel hot in any way, so please, _let it go_." A wave of debilitating nausea crashed through her stomach, and her throat visibly bobbed as she gagged, barely keeping herself from puking up her lunch. Her right hand fisted against her stomach, and she began to mentally urge herself to keep her food down.

Videl looked on as her daughter released a muted whimper and tensed up before resuming her barely-kept-together state from before. Sweat beaded up at her temples and hairline, trickling in small streams down the sides of her face and down her neck. Her entire face was flushed a deep crimson; too red in her opinion, and the quarter saiyan seemed to be suffering from a bad fever.

"Panny, have you seen a mirror lately? You look _awful_," the mother murmured, "come to the restroom with me; I'll show yo- _Pan_?"

Pan clamped a hand over her mouth, throat bobbing erratically as her food fought its way up her esophagus. Videl; moving quickly, grabbed Pan's hand before rushing her off to the bathroom. As soon as the door closed, Pan hurtled into a stall and crouched over the toilet, puking up everything in her stomach. The heaving of her stomach caused a flare-up in the pains plaguing her lower right abdomen, and she cried out between heaves, struggling to cope with the now-severe pain.

Trunks; who'd sensed the dissension of the pain in Pan's ki, came to the bathroom immediately. Pan leaned away from the toilet and plopped on the ground, whimpering quietly and holding her stomach. Trunks knelt beside her and brushed the hair out of her face, "Panny?"

"You were right," she mumbled, "I am sick."

"I'm not happy about being right, though," the Prince muttered under his breath, "how bad is the pain?"

"Let's just say I have an understanding of how Rhea felt when she got stabbed a while back." Pan mumbled and then groaned, burying her face in his chest.

Goku made his appearance in the restroom via instant transmission to relay a message to Videl, "Gohan says that they're resting, and will be able to come back down as soon as they wake… what's wrong with Panny?" He immediately began to worry about his granddaughter as she struggled to keep her pain in check.

"We're not exactly sure, Goku," Videl murmured, "she's got pretty bad stomach pains, and she threw up just a few moments ago."

Trunks shifted his fiancée into his lap and cradled her, rocking gently to soothe her. Pan wept into his shirtfront, confused about the pain she was feeling; not to mention the sudden heat from her now-apparent fever.

"I'll go tell Gohan." Goku offered, and then pressed his fingers to his forehead before vanishing in the blink of an eye.

*on the Lookout*

Gohan's head snapped up as his father reappeared just moments after teleporting to Videl's side, "what? Dad, what happened?"

"Pan's not feeling well," Goku confessed, "Videl mentioned that she threw up," and completely forgot to mention the stomach cramps. Gohan's eyes widened as he considered the possibilities, "Oh Kami…" Visions of grandbabies began to fly in front of his mind's eye, but immediately halted as soon as his father spoke again, "Videl also said that her stomach was hurting."

"Would you mind teleporting Rebekah, Rhea, and Goten back to the hospital? I'll have to check Pan out myself." A firm nod came from Goku, and Gohan immediately began to gather up some things for the trip back. Rebekah, who was still mostly asleep, mumbled her fiancé's name and lapsed back into full sleep.

"Hey, we're leaving?" Goten came into the room, one arm firmly wrapped around Rhea's waist as she nestled into his side. Her green eyes widened as she took in her mother's sleeping form, "is she okay?"

"She's fine, Rhea." Gohan murmured, smiling at her, "glad to see you awake and on your feet." She grinned, "Goten wanted to carry me, but I wouldn't let him." The person in question pouted, and she giggled, nuzzling into his side.

"Alright, everyone," Gohan began, carefully cradling Rebekah in his arms, "let's get out of here." Everyone made sure they were in some form of physical contact with Goku before he put his fingers to his forehead and teleported back to Videl.

*on Earth*

Videl jumped as Goku, Gohan, and Goten appeared in the bathroom; Rhea and Rebekah in tow, and then returned to her previous task of wiping the sweat from her daughter's forehead. Something about this sickness just seemed familiar to her… but she couldn't remember why. There was a memory from her late childhood that was niggling at her, but she couldn't get a grasp on what it was.

Suddenly the answer hit Videl like a freight train, and she looked up at her husband, "she has appendicitis."

"You're sure?" Gohan asked softly, kneeling down beside Pan's sleeping form. Videl nodded, "I had it when I was eight, and I had the exact same symptoms."

"Alright, I'll get her into surgery," he looked up at Rhea, "you need to go placate your father." Rhea nodded once and grabbed Goten's hand, "come on, Goten, we need to go calm Daddy down."

Goku, who was holding Rebekah, looked at his son questioningly as he motioned for Trunks to pick Pan up. Gohan smiled apologetically, "there's a room on the other side of Belle's that should be open for her."

Goku nodded in agreement and began making his way to said room.

*meanwhile*

"You bounced back fast." Goten said with a chuckle, following closely behind his small woman. Rhea snorted and weaved her way through the halls, seemingly knowing exactly where her father was. Goten's eyes widened; did that she could sense _ki_? Did Pan and Marron manage to teach her _that_ much?

"Rhea, did Panny tell you about sensing-"

"Yes, and I only have a good grasp on the ki signatures of people that I'm familiar with or related to." Rhea smiled back at him, "impressed?"

"_Very_." Goten replied, "you learn quickly." The small brunette rushed forward, into the waiting room. Her father sat in a chair, bickering with both Bulma and Natalia.

"Daddy?"

Nicholas, who'd been about to launch into a fresh tirade, froze and peered around Bulma. Rhea stood a few feet away, wearing a thin white cotton dress, hair filled with what appeared to be blood and dirt. Her green eyes sparkled and he could see a patch of bandages on her chest.

"Rhea, honey, are you alright?" The violet-eyed man stood from his seat and approached her cautiously. She nodded, "I'm fine." The worried father breathed a sigh of relief and gathered her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

Rhea smiled and kissed his cheek, "you worry too much." Nicholas rolled his eyes, "I have every right to worry…" he trailed off, "Kami, my own _sister_ is out to kill me and my family."

"It's pretty obvious that she's getting desperate." Natalia murmured, looping her arm through one of Daren's, "her court date is getting closer and closer, and she doesn't want a single one of us to be able to testify against her."

"Her little worker bees have slipped under the grid too many times." Marron said softly, and Uub nodded, "we need to keep a close watch on the four of you until she's been put away."

"What can you do that the police can't?" Nicholas asked curiously, wrapping an arm around his daughter for good measure. Goten snorted derisively, "we can keep you alive."

* * *

**Action filled chapter, eh? Next chapter will skip ahead a week or two, so Belle will be out of the hospital, Rhea will be still recovering a little; as will her mother, and Pan gets to be pampered by Trunks; that's the only reason I added the appendicitis, and they'll become a lot closer as their wedding approaches. I don't know how the next chapter will pan out, but I'll just follow my gut. Enjoy the read! I intend to skip between people as the next chapter draws on.**

**-SukiChan12^-^**


	19. Incredulità

**Alright, two week skip, starting now. Rhea and her mother have begun to mend their precarious relationship, and Pan had to get her appendix removed. Belle's out of the hospital, and everyone; meaning Rhea, Natalia, Daren, Goten, Pan, Trunks, Marron, and Uub are holed up in Pan and Trunks' mansion to prevent any more assassination attempts. Clear enough? Alright, let's start the chapter.**

* * *

**No POV**

Rhea reclined on the bed in one of Trunks and Pan's many guestrooms, reading a book to her soon to be four year old twins, scratching at the edge of the bandage on her chest. Dende hadn't been able to heal the wound entirely; as life threatening as it was, so she still had a small wound there, and the bandage was itching, driving her crazy.

Belle was doing a lot better now that she was out of the hospital. So far, her temperature had remained level; neither too high nor low, and she was a picture of health. The little one was also getting well acquainted with her newfound grandparents, something her mother was thankful for.

Pan was on the mend after having surgery for her appendix; acting like a wounded tiger. Trunks was having ball keeping his eyes on her; keeping her in the bed, too, because she had made a habit of escaping the bedroom on an hourly basis. Her inability to take it easy was one of the reasons why Trunks refused to give her a senzu bean; backed by her parents, of course, and told Dende not to heal her, should she manage to get that far.

Rebekah was resting on the other side of Rhea's bed with Baili leaning against her, listening quietly as her daughter read to her children. She was also doing much better; despite the tenderness in her abdomen from the wounds, and slowly getting back on her feet.

Suddenly, Trunks rushed into the room, "Have either one of you seen Panny?"

"She's trying to escape _again_?" Rhea asked with a laugh, "why am I not surprised?"

"Because she's Pan," Trunks retorted, "now, have you seen her?"

Both women shook their heads, and the twin tykes giggled at the stressed look on Trunks' face. He groaned and yelled out of the door, "she's not in here, Gohan," before running back down the hall.

Rebekah sat up and leaned down to look over the side of the bed, "the coast is clear, Pan." The brunette crawled from under the bed slowly, careful not to rip her stitches and sprawled on the cushy carpet, spent, "hiding from them is getting harder and harder. I just want to be alone."

The whole '_ruptured appendix_' episode had raised quite a few alarms in the Son family, hence the reason why she was on bed arrest; despite the fact that she could move around pretty well without feeling much discomfort, thanks to her saiyan genes.

Her appendix had ruptured on the operating table and; if not for her father, she very well could've gone into septic shock. He'd managed to suction out all of the bacteria before it could do any lasting damage, moving much faster than a human could in the process.

Though it was standard procedure for family members not being able to help with cases involving family, Videl had thrown her father's name around to get Gohan in on the surgery because she didn't trust anyone else with her baby girl.

"They're just looking out for you; Panny," Rhea murmured, "and technically, you should be still taking it easy. Your stitches haven't even begun to dissolve."

"So," Pan pouted, "It doesn't hurt me to move… much. Clearly, I got here from downstairs and across the entire house."

"Panny, I think this is first time anyone in your family has been seriously ill since the time your Grandfather had his heart virus. I think they're entitled to be worrisome." The smaller brunette said sagely, "don't begrudge them that."

"Way to make me feel bad- crap, mom's coming." The fiancé of Trunks Briefs carefully rolled back under the bed and made sure the hold she had on her ki was still firm. Rhea snorted and went back to reading the book to her children.

Videl quietly walked in, made her way around to Rebekah's side of the bed, got down so she was lying on her stomach on the floor, and peered under the bed, "nice try, missy, but not good enough. You may be able to fool Trunks and your father, but not your mom."

Rhea and Rebekah laughed quietly as Pan's audible groan emanated from under the bed, "this isn't fair…"

"I know; I'm so horrible aren't I?" Videl asked sarcastically, "Now; if you're done acting like a teenager, then get out from under this bed and come get back into yours."

"Never," Pan replied, crossing her arms over her chest, "you'll never take me alive!"

The mother of Pan pursed her lips together in thought, and then shrugged to herself before grabbing onto Pan's leg and dragging her; gently, from under the bed. Pan remained on the floor, pouting up at her mother, "you suck."

"I know," Videl replied, "now get up."

The daughter of Gohan reluctantly got off of the floor; wincing a bit as a few minor pains went through her lower abdomen. Her mother; with her sharp eyes, noticed and grabbed onto her elbow, "I saw that, hon; you're not as subtle as you think. Time to go rest."

Rebekah and Rhea smiled apologetically as Pan and Videl left the room, and Rhea called out, "at least we didn't tell on you, Panny!"

Videl peeked back in the room, "no, she did that on her own," and laughed as Pan's cheeks flushed a bright red in embarrassment, "come on, you should've known that I would've found you."

"Whatever, Mom." Pan pulled away and made her way down the stairs on her own, with her amused mother following behind her, laughing and calling her a sourpuss.

Back upstairs, Baili's large blue eyes began to droop as exhaustion began to set in. Belle seemed to be having the same problem in her spot on Rhea's lap. Their mother's lulling voice as she read to them was making them sleepy. Rebekah giggled softly as Baili's little body began to weigh down on her as she lolled against her grandmother.

"Someone's getting sleepy," the older woman crooned, brushing a hand over Baili's soft curls.

Rhea giggled, "make that two someone's," she murmured, and then gently shifted Belle from her lap, onto the bed. Her emerald green eyes fluttered closed, and she curled up into a ball. Rebekah laid Baili down next to her sister and laid a micro plush blanket over them. Rhea made sure the pillow was under their heads and then smiled at her mother, "let's go sit in the garden."

Rebekah nodded, and Rhea got out the bed and made her way around to help her mother get out of the bed. The older woman laughed quietly, "is it really wise for two injured people to look out for one another?"

"Maybe not, but I…" Rhea flushed pink, "I wanted to talk, and I don't want to disturb the girls while they're resting."

Rebekah nodded, "I understand. Well, let's grab our coats and go on out." The two women went into the coat room and grabbed their pea coats and slipped into them, along with scarves, gloves, hats, and boots. Once they were properly clothed for the weather, the two women dimmed the lights and left the door cracked open before making their way downstairs.

The women easily navigated through the mansion; it was big enough that one could get around without encountering anyone else but not so big that one could get lost, and made their way out the backdoor. The winter chill nipped at their faces as they made their way to the veranda at the middle of the garden; there were space heaters and chairs underneath it.

"Good kami, it's freezing out here." Rebekah commented tucking her gloved hands into her pockets. She could the barest hint of a flurry forming in the cold wind as it whipped past her face. The almost microscopic bits of premature snow melted as soon as they came within range of the heat of her breath coming from her mouth.

"I'm starting think this was a bad idea for a place to talk." Rhea murmured, and then promptly sighed as they came within the range of the space heaters, "that's better. I'll love Pan forever if she put a coffee machine or something out here, though."

"You're in luck," Rebekah replied, "cocoa machine's on the table."

The veranda had plenty of chairs and tables set up for outdoor cooking and eating; the space heaters were out so that the same could be done during the colder months, and there, on a large table at the veranda's center, sat a small Keurig cocoa machine, complete with a few flavor selections on the side. Rhea selected the white chocolate cocoa, while her mother went with the buttered toffee flavor.

Once their cups were made, the two of them took a seat at one of the tables closest to a space heater and began sipping their hot beverages slowly. The irony of the situation and moment struck both mother and daughter simultaneously.

Rhea smiled mischievously, "we'd best be on the lookout. Remember what happened the last time we took a coffee break by ourselves?"

"Oh, but I don't see any strangers in all black attire," Rebekah pretended to be aghast, "someone should've told them that black went out ages ago, and is not the best color to wear when sneaking around in broad daylight."

The two women dissolved into laughter, and sobered as Rebekah asked, "was there something else you wanted to know about me?"

Rhea nodded, "what was your childhood like?"

"Well," Rebekah tapped her chin, "I wasn't born in Japan, but my family moved here when I was very young; so it was easy for me to become fluent in it. I was actually born in Ireland; not hard to tell with my coloring, is it?"

Rhea nodded, "You've got the traditional Irish coloring."

Rebekah smiled, "yes, but I'm about to shock you. My Mère, your Grandmère, was actually French Creole, but I took most after Père in terms of hair and eye color, but my skin is mixture of hers and his; my skin isn't nearly as deep toned as Mère's, but that's Père's fault."

"Whoa… so I'm part creole?" Rhea asked incredulously, "how'd your parents even meet?"

"Well, Mère was on a trip with her friends from college; she's from Louisiana so it was a far trip for her, and Père was working part time at the hotel they stayed at as a bellhop to help support his family. It was "love at first sight" your Grandmère's words, not mine."

Rebekah smiled, "They exchanged numbers, emails, addresses and such, and promised to keep in contact with one another. They lost touch for a year or so, leading up to my crazy Mère crashing his almost-wedding to your other Grandmère; Nicky's mère. I still don't know how that happened."

"Well… that's interesting, what happened next?"

"Your Grandmère objected and confessed her feelings for père, and they were married that same day. Your other Grandmère was humiliated." Rebekah sighed, "and then they conceived your uncle Ricky; or _Richard_, on the honeymoon, then me about six years later, and finally, my little sister, your Aunt Esther."

"Did you travel a lot when you were little?" Rhea asked curiously, fully engrossed in the discussion at hand.

"Between Louisiana, Ireland, and the combined extended family in Scotland, England, France, and Norway; yes, _Norway_, we traveled plenty. My parents weren't as well-off as Nicky's, but we had good money. Between Mère's minor clothing line and Père's branches of construction companies, there wasn't much we couldn't have." Her mother replied.

"We moved to Japan when I was nine. Richard was fifteen; already getting into trouble, and Esther was four. Mère had visited there before and wanted to make our permanent residence there. In the course of time that passed after their marriage, we'd lived in Lousiana, England, Spain, France, Italy, Norway, Ireland, Scotland, and a short stint of time on Greenland, and she was ready to be done with the traveling."

"Père designed a small, spacious estate outside of West City and set me on the road to meeting your father and having you," Rebekah finished, "while the path was rough and tiresome, it was all worth it in the end. Maybe when I gain their forgiveness, you'll be able to meet them. You're not the only one who was; is, angry with me, Cherie."

"They can't stay angry with you forever, Momma," Rhea whispered, "you're their child; I mean, what about Uncle Ricky?"

"Ricky tried to come clean and convinced them that he was going to remain sober," Rebekah said softly, "Esther found him in the bathroom, overdosed on coke and heroin. After that, they couldn't trust either of our words any longer. As far as I know, Ricky's still on the streets. He stayed in the hospital as long as he needed, and; as soon as he was well enough, he got discharged and went right back to what he was doing."

"Wow… You think something like that would put things into perspective for him." Rhea mumbled, and then looked up when her mother's eyes tightened, "Momma?"

"The reason that your father and I are here with you now; clean and sober, is because of me; you, too, but I was the last push we needed," The mother swallowed thickly, "I overdosed about four years ago; when we finally went into rehab, and I actually died a few times. My heart stopped beating for fifteen minutes the first time, twenty five the second time, and then the last time twenty seven. The constant cardiac arrests were so bad that the doctors were actually considering placing a DNR on my file for the next time I flat lined. Lucky for me, it didn't happen again, and I pulled through."

"Where is Daddy, anyways? I haven't seen him today." The twenty year old mother of twins asked, still digesting the story, "and how come Daddy has a tan, too?"

"He's at our house getting some clothing and stuff for us, and he may or may not have a strain of Italian on his dad's side of the family." Rebekah murmured, smiling, "I'm not sure; you'll have to ask him."

"Alright, thanks for telling me about my heritage." Rhea grinned, "at least I know why I came out with this skin tone."

"Mmhm, now, let's finish our cocoa and go back inside. Space heater or not, it's still kind of cold out here." The mother patted her daughter's hand, "I'm willing to bet that boy of yours has his nickers all in a twist." Rhea's eyes widened as her mother fluidly switched into traditional Irish dialect, "What-"

"Aye, Da was an honorable Irishman; taught me all about 'is homeland." Rebekah said in the rough Irish jargon, and then broke off with her laughter, "I know the lingo; I just prefer to use the French that Mère taught me."

"Alright, Momma, let's go inside." The two women rose from the table, toting their hot beverages and made their way back up the path and to the house.

*inside*

As the mother and daughter duo made their way back into the house, Goten and Nicholas came around the corner, looking frantic. Both women, who were in the process of getting out of their coats and boots, looked up, alarmed. Rhea took off her gloves and scarf, leaving her in a large white sweater-tunic that came down to mid-thigh, and a pair of black and white Aztec patterned tights and black socks. Goten thought she looked positively adorable, despite how worried he'd been.

"I was worried sick," The younger Son brother managed to say, pulling her into a hug, "what were you two doing outside alone?"

"Yeah, hun, what were you guys doing out there? It's going to be snowing soon." Nicholas wrapped a gentle arm around Rebekah's slim waist.

"We were talking about my side of the family, amour, nothing serious. Speaking which… you should tell her about _your_ side of the family." His fiancée teased, tickling him under his chin.

"I don't know about that… there's a lot of backtracking to do there." Nick murmured, and then smiled at his daughter, "but I'm willing to try to detangle it all for you, angel."

"Thanks, Daddy." Rhea smiled and leaned up on her tip toes to kiss Goten on his cheek, "Come on, I can't wait to see look on your face when I tell you about this."

Goten chuckled as his tiny girlfriend proceeded to drag him into one of the sitting rooms, already babbling about her conversation with her mother; much like a child would tell their parents about their first day at school. He was perfectly content to let her have her way; she was so cute when she was excited about something.

"Bex, she's so happy," Nick murmured, "you made her so happy, hon." Rebekah smiled and kissed his cheek, "I'm glad she's so interested in where she comes from. I did tell her that my dad and your mom almost got married. I still don't get how that happened. Kami, we would've been siblings. How weird would that have been?"

"Very." Nick replied, and then looked her over, "you look positively gorgeous in this dress and tights combo you've got going."

Rebekah looked down, blushing dark pink, "thank you, babe."

"Come on; I bought us lunch. Your favorite and everything. It's in the kitchen." The two of them linked arms and made their way into the kitchen, talking in hushed tones as they went.

*in the sitting room*

"So you're part Irish and French Creole?" Goten asked incredulously, and Rhea nodded, "apparently my Grandma is this mocha-caramel skinned woman with extremely curly dark brown hair and an attitude that's ten times bigger than she is. She's the reason why Momma and I are so short."

"And your Grandpa's Irish?"

"Big, burly man with freckles, red hair and green eyes." The small woman smiled, "and rumor has it I might be Italian, too."

"You've got just about everything mixed into you, don't you?" Goten asked, "I think it makes you unique."

"Thank you; I just can't wait to see what's going on my dad's side of the family." Rhea leaned over and kissed him on the lips, "I'm going to go check and see if the girls are awake yet."

"Alright, sweetness." Goten said, smiling as she skipped from the room. A voice cut through the silence, full of disgruntled displeasure.

"So they can move around freely, but I'm relegated to being carried everywhere like some kind of a quadriplegic invalid?" Pan asked sharply as her fiancé entered the room with her balanced in his arms. She had her small arms crossed over her chest and her small face was pinched with the lackluster enthusiasm she had for being carried around.

"Well, considering that the area of operation still looks pretty fresh, and none of your stitches have dissolved, I think you need to be taking it easy." Trunks replied, and then shot Goten an exasperated look, "I have to bodily pin her down to the bed these days. She doesn't know how to take it easy."

"I've never had to '_take it easy_', Trunks, so of course I don't know how to do it. I've never been sick a day in my life; unless you count when I was a baby but that was unavoidable." The short brunette woman ranted, narrowing her dark blue eyes at Trunks, "I am a quarter saiyan, sir Coddles A Lot, and I can handle myself just fine."

"So, I'm not entitled to worry?" Trunks asked incredulously, "You almost went into septic shock and died on the operating table. Imagine if we'd been here at home when your mom found out you had appendicitis and we hadn't been able to get you to the hospital fast enough-"

"Wh oa, Trunks, just calm down!" Goten stood up and gently pried Pan from Trunks' grasp, "you made your point, now cool it. I'm pretty sure the doctor said for her to avoid any stressful situations, and this is really panning out like one."

Pan squirmed out of his arms and got down on the floor, looking anywhere but at her fiancé, "I think I'll head back to bed," and quickly left the room. Both men watched her make her way back down the hallway worriedly, and then their gazes went back to one another as she shut the master bedroom door behind her.

"Man, you're lucky I'm not Gohan or else your ass would be half-way dead by now," Goten hissed sharply, "I understand that you were worried about her; we all were, but you don't need to yell at her like that. I don't care if you are my best friend; you talk to my niece like that again and I'll flatten your face, Briefs."

"Alright… Goten, man, look… I really didn't mean to yell at her. She was just being so nonchalant about her health, throwing caution to the wind, and I'm just… frustrated with her. I know; she's never been sick, she's part saiyan, and she's strong… but I still worry about her. She almost died on that table, man." Trunks whispered, "I just don't get how she can just look past that."

"She can look past it because she's here now, and she _didn't_ die on that operating table. Pan knows that; while she _could've_ died, she _didn't_. Now, do you know that?" Goten smiled, "I know it brought things into perspective for you, but don't take out your frustrations on her, or you'll find yourself on the wrong end of a throttle from hell."

"I know… I'm sorry, man."

"It's not me you need to be saying that to," The younger Son brother looked meaningfully at the closed master bedroom door, "if I know my niece; she may be tough as nails, but there are definitely a few chinks in her armor, and I'm pretty sure an angry, yelling fiancé is the best way to get at them. Get in there and do some damage control."

Trunks made his way over to the bedroom door, head hung low, and Goten almost felt bad for him. Even at her most vulnerable, Pan was notorious for being a stubborn, unshakeable, hard ass that could hold a very good grudge. He flinched as the lavender haired Prince sat on the floor beside the door and knocked, "Panny?"

"Do I want to know what happened here?"

Natalia's soft voice called out, and Goten turned around to face her. She and Daren had just returned from a run into town for some food for themselves.

"Nah, it's a bit of a mess that only he and Pan can make sense of. This is actually their first falling out in a pretty long time." Goten replied softly, and then smiled as Rhea made her way back down the stairs, "The twins are sleeping like angels. Hey, cousin."

Talia and Rhea shared some kisses on each other's cheeks and smiled at one another… and then Rhea squealed gleefully, "Oh my gosh, I have to tell you about what my mom told me today!"

Daren and Goten's gazes met, filled with exasperation as the two women grasped hands and spirited away into a different sitting room to talk without the men listening. Daren stepped over to his friend and grinned, "Do I want to know?"

"You'll probably hear it from Talia, anyway, man. It's definitely a shocker though." The younger Son brother chuckled and nudged his side, "it shouldn't take long, so you won't be eating alone, but with women you'll never know."

"Right…"

*a few hours later*

Rhea, Rebekah, Marron, Bra, and Natalia were sitting in the living room, peeking down the hall to Trunks and Pan's bedroom; more importantly the man sitting outside of the room, looking dejected.

Bra frowned, "He's been apologizing for the past five hours, and she hasn't made a peep. She's really upset, because normally, she'll pull a '_ChiChi_' and rant and rave through the door for maybe three hours, and then come out and kiss him senseless as a sign of forgiveness."

"Pan's never been one to just sit around and do _nothing_, so I can understand where she's coming from." Marron whispered, "And Trunks has had a habit of overthinking and worrying way too much about her."

"How so?" Rhea asked curiously, crossing her legs on the couch.

"Once, she came home from a sparring session with a hole in her shoulder. It was bad; she was bleeding all over the place and the hole wasn't even that big." Bra began, "Gohan misfired a Special Beam Cannon, and she took it to her shoulder because she couldn't get entirely out of the way. Luckily, the blast was smaller in diameter than usual, or she would've bled out in seconds."

"When Gohan brought her home to get her a senzu bean," Marron swallowed thickly, "Trunks actually tried to _attack_ Gohan, and he had to put him in his place and kick his ass in the process. We all know that Gohan loves his Princess and he'd never harm her that badly on purpose. That was also the only other time that she's iced him out like this."

"My big brother is a habitual over reactor. He gets it from both our parents, actually, but we know he means well, unlike Daddy…" Bra shook her head, "I can't say when she'll come around. Pan runs on a different frequency sometimes, and it's hard to tell what frequency she chooses to be on."

"To be short," Videl came over to the women with Chichi beside her, "that pretty little package that's holed up in that bedroom has one atomic temper. Her grandmother and I are to blame for that."

"We've got a huge problem." Nicholas rushed into the room, trailed by Goten and Daren.

Talia frowned, "Uncle, what…"

"I just got a call from the court house in town… Mavis is… she's _dead_."

* * *

**A _cliffie_? I haven't had one of these in a while! Well, I don't know what happened here, but I really wanted to do something a bit crazy. I don't know if you guys are going to like what I'm about to do with this fic, but I'm hoping that you will be open to this.**

**The rundown is that there is a bit of trouble in Trunksie and Panny Land, Rhea's learning more about her familial history, I don't have anything to do with Natalia at the moment, and Mavis is dead. I wanted to add in the drama with Pan and Trunks because I've never really explored anything negative with their relationship in any of my other stories. This, however, should be fairly minor and will blow over in the next chapter or two. I think the next chapter will reveal Nicholas' side of the family, as well as look more into Mavis' death.**

**Also, I'm debating on whether or not to do a companion shot with Rebekah and her parents. I've created one hell of a messy family history, and I'm itching to do some exploring. Let me know what you think.**

**-SukiChan12^-^**


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